TURKEY: OPPOSITION CHP CAUTIOUSLY HARDLINE ON

1. (C) Establishment standard-bearer Republican People's
Party (CHP) has hardened its Cyprus rhetoric during the EU
summit in Copenhagen. CHP leader Baykal Dec. 11 publicly
endorsed President Sezer's "protest" decision not to go to
Copenhagen, claiming the EU wanted to extract concessions
from Turkey on Cyprus and to present Ankara with a "fait
accompli" (echoing MFA talking points verbatim).




2. (C) Our contacts throughout the party are echoing Baykal's
skepticism. On the one hand, they recognize that the Cyprus
issue needs to be solved now, given imminent Greek Cypriot
accession into the EU. On the other hand, they have not as
yet shown that they are willing
to base any solution on current UN plans.


-- Head of CHP's women's auxiliary group and M.P. Guldal
Okutucu Dec. 12 told poloffs forcefully that CHP "cannot
accept the revised plan" submitted by UNSYG Annan.


-- CHP deputy Yilmaz Ates explained to us that CHP will not
agree to the Annan plan. CHP fears that it invites eventual
Greek domination of the island. Ates then lambasted the
ruling AK (Justice and Development) Party for its willingness
earlier to push for a solution in the run-up to the summit.
However, according to Ates, after CHP leaders and MFA
officials had "educated" AK and the Government of PM Abdullah
Gul, "now they understand."




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Comment


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3. (C) Cyprus is a neuralgic issue for Turks, particularly
for those who support the political-bureaucratic
Establishment's point of view. CHP is positioning itself as
pro-EU in principle. It is also trying to burnish its
Establishment credentials, and position itself for any
perceived slip by AK, by harping on the dangers of accepting
the Cyprus plan.
DEUTSCH