C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002872

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2013
TAGS: MARR PREL TU NATO
SUBJECT: APRIL 29 BELGIAN MINI-SUMMIT: TURKS SHARE OUR
CONCERN OVER SUMMIT'S OUTCOME AND STATEMENT

REF: STATE 109725


(U) Classified by Political-Military Counselor Stuart Brown.
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).



1. (C) On May 1, Polmiloff, drawing on reftel talking
points, briefed MFA/NATO Department Second Secretary Esra
Dogan on USG concern over the April 29 Belgian mini-summit
Joint Statement. Dogan, who had also been briefed earlier
that day by the UK Embassy, said she was not surprised by the
mini-summit's outcome, though she had hoped that the Germans
would have played a role in working for a more "conciliatory"
Joint Statement. Dogan said the GOT shares our concern and
is very disappointed and worried that "things are not going
in the right direction." She explained that the French and
Germans at an April 23 Convention on the Future of Europe
Working Group on Defense submitted proposals along the same
lines as the April 29 Joint Statement. Dogan said that these
French/German proposals will be finalized at the Convention's
next meeting on May 15. Turkey, as an aspiring EU member,
participates in the Convention and its working groups. Thus,
Dogan said that Turkey's EU Mission in Brussels has been in
close contact on this issue with the UK and hopes that
together their two countries can positively moderate the text
of the Convention's final paper.



2. (C) Dogan went on to say that the Convention's final
paper does not have too much significance, as it reflects a
varied and large group including parliamentarians and
representatives from all aspiring EU candidates. The real
decision on the EU's efforts to establish its own security
and defense identity will be decided at the EU's
Intergovernmental Conference, in which Turkey is not invited
to participate. When this debate eventually takes place,
Dogan expects that the UK and the Dutch will fight to water
down any language that is at odds with long-standing NATO
commitments and the "Berlin-Plus" framework between NATO and
the EU approved in March.
PEARSON