IRAQ: TURKEY AGREES TO US-TURKEY-KDP/PUK-ITF TALKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001512

SIPDIS


DEPT. FOR NEA, NEA/NGA, EUR, EUR/SE;
NSC FOR AMB. KHALILZAD


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2013
TAGS: PREL MOPS IZ TU
SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKEY AGREES TO US-TURKEY-KDP/PUK-ITF TALKS
- PROVIDED THEY ARE PRECEDED BY US-TURKEY BILATS; TALKS
WITH LARGER OPPOSITION LATER


REF: A. STATE 61835

B. ANKARA 1487


Classified by DCM Robert Deutsch. Reasons 1.5 b and d.



1. (C) MFA Director General for Middle Eastern Affairs Tahsin
Burcuoglu called in DCM March 10 with response to US Ref A
demarche suggesting a US-Turkey-Iraqi opposition meeting.
Burcuoglu said Turkey was agreeable to holding a round of
US-Turkey-KDP/PUK-ITF talks toward the end of this week (when
MFA Deputy U/S Ali Tuygan would be available) in order to
finalize understandings of the joint US-Turkey operations in
northern Iraq, should they end up taking place. Turkey's
position, he said, was that such a meeting must be preceded
by a US-Turkey bilateral to fix the structure, format and
agenda of the larger meeting. Turkey's reaction had been
coordinated with TGS J-3 LTG Karabay.



2. (C) Burcuoglu said the bilateral was "most important" and
would require a full day. The other parties must know, he
said, that they are not coming to convince Turkey of the
virtues of the Salahadeen meeting. They should, he said,
come prepared to agree on what they hear from the US and
Turkey. There was already a foundation for US and Turkish
presentations in the military MOU that remained on the table,
he said. Burcuoglu said Turkey needed to see the KDP, PUK
and ITF reaction to the MOU. It would be very unfortunate,
he added, if there was no agreement at the end of such a
meeting.



3. (C) Burcuoglu noted that there was already a history of
meeting with this group of five, and these were the key
parties who needed to be on board to avoid misunderstandings
in nothern Iraq. To get other groups involved, he said,
would be feasible at some point, but not for the time being.
That would be, he said, "another thing for another time." He
noted that Turkey would have its own ideas about other groups
that it would want to attend such a meeting in the future.



4. (C) As for the prospective five-way meeting, he emphasized
that Turkey wanted to be sure it would be smooth,
business-like and results-oriented. He said he looked
forward to hearing details from the US side about scheduling
both the full-day bilat and the subsequent five-way meeting.


PEARSON