Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ANKARA3197
2003-05-15 11:05:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL 27-29 CODEL WEXLER

Tags:  ECON OREP PGOV PREL TU US 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003197 

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2013
TAGS: ECON OREP PGOV PREL TU US
SUBJECT: HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL 27-29 CODEL WEXLER

REF: STATE 102777


(U) Classified by Ambassador W.R. Pearson; reasons 1.5 (b)
and (d).


C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003197

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2013
TAGS: ECON OREP PGOV PREL TU US
SUBJECT: HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL 27-29 CODEL WEXLER

REF: STATE 102777


(U) Classified by Ambassador W.R. Pearson; reasons 1.5 (b)
and (d).



1. (C) Summary: During an April 27-29 visit to Ankara,
Representative Robert
Wexler visited with senior GOT leadership to assure continued
support for
the U.S.-Turkish relationship while simultaneously
acknowledging there had been
recent differences between the two countries. To mitigate any
possible residual
disappointment that could occur as a result of the Turkish
parliament's
decision not to support coalition efforts in Iraq, the
Congressman urged the
GOT leadership to demonstrate both substantive and symbolic
gestures to the
U.S. Congress to reaffirm this relationship. End summary.


--------------
Representative Robert Wexler,s Message
--------------



2. (C) Congressman Robert Wexler began his meetings with the
GOT
leadership by delivering a good news/bad news message. First
the good news:
the first full House of Representatives debate on
Turkish-American relations in
memory (over the $1 billion supplemental grant) had come out
three to one in
Turkey's favor despite its taking place at the height of
bilateral tensions.
Then the bad: there was great disappointment with Turkey
within the U.S.
administration, and many questioned Turkey's overall policy
direction.
Throughout his meetings Wexler affirmed "Nothing is more
important right now
than continued good relations between Turkey and the U.S. He
stressed that
Turkey must be pro-active in reinvigorating the relationship.


--------------
Prime Minister Tayyip Recip Erdogan
--------------



3. (C) Prime Minister Erdogan emphasized the importance of
Turkey's "strategic
partnership" with the U.S. In a long defense, Erdogan (1)
expressed regret
that the U.S. Congress had reacted so emotionally; (2)
claimed that, after the
U.K., Turkey gave the U.S. more support than anyone else on
Iraq, including
allowing Operation Northern Watch to continue for years and
permitting U.S.
special operations forces to enter Iraq through Turkey; (3)

recalled that the
GOT had warned the USG that it would be hard to pass the
troop deployment
resolution; and (4) averred that AK M.P.s were negatively
affected by
"insulting" anti-Turkish cartoons in the U.S. press. In the
end, Turkey's
opening of its airspace -- which the GOT allowed because it
was a requirement
of its alliance with the U.S. -- was more significant than
similar moves by
Germany or Romania. Now Turkey wanted to establish a common
approach with the
U.S. to help Iraq become a democracy. Moreover, AK party's
parliamentary
members had a positive attitude toward the U.S.


--------------
General Staff DCHOD Buyukanit
--------------



4. (C) Under questioning from Wexler, DCHOD Buyukanit
admitted that mil-mil
relations were not as solid as previously. He argued weakly
that the military
had worked for parliamentary passage of the bill to support
U.S. combat
operations, claiming the military could not impose its will
on Parliament.



5. (C) Buyukanit claimed that misunderstandings between
Turkey and the U.S. had
arisen from "wrong assessments" the U.S. military had sent to
Washington, but
the Turkish military would now do its best to create a new
atmosphere for the
future.



6. (C) Buyukanit then listed Turkish concerns related to
Iraq: (1) The Kurds
could not be trusted; (2) The Iraqi Shi,a were a
second-class majority who now
wanted a major role; (3) Turkey did not have designs on
Kirkuk or Mosul.


--------------
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
--------------



7. (C) FonMin Gul stated there were disappointments and
misunderstandings on
both sides. Claiming he was disappointed in the result of
the
resolution, Gul opined that Turkey did not cooperate fully,
but it did
cooperate. Public opinion was strongly against the war.
Secretary Powell,s

SIPDIS
visit was helpful. Turkey and the U.S. are "indispensable
partners." This is
not only the view of the government, the man on the street
feels this way as
well. The (March 1) resolution is not the only indicator of
Turkish sentiment.
There is no turning back on our pro-U.S., pro-E.U. policy.
Except for that
resolution, we (AK) have made progress on these fronts.



8. (C) As for relations with Turkey's eastern neighbors, Gul
asserted that
Turkey will influence them, not vice versa. Regarding Iran,
Iraq and Syria,
Gul claimed "they cannot give Turkey anything; Turkey can
give them something.
Turkey has had problems with them in the past and is only
trying to improve
relations.



9. (C) Gul concluded by promising to follow up with a visit
of parliamentarians
to the U.S. Congress and to assure significant AK party
representation on
Parliament's Turkish-American Friendship Committee. He noted
the Israeli
President is planning to visit Turkey soon and that Turkey
supported the Middle
East roadmap and will contribute to peace in the region.


--------------
MFA - Ambassador Ugur Ziyal
--------------



10. (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Under Secretary
Ambassador Ziyal commented
that many in the GOT incorrectly assumed the problems had
passed and noted the
U.S.-Turkish military relationship must be repaired. On the
future of Iraq, he
stressed, the U.S. and Turkey need to consult and work
closely. Observing the
U.S. and Turkey have gone through worse crises before, and
will weather this
one, Ziyal confessed he is at a loss as to what Turkey can do
right now.
He wondered about a trip to Washington but asked how such a
delegation would be
received.



11. (C) Ziyal dismissed concerns about the Turkmen, saying
they are not
warlike; they are doctors and tradesmen and will add to peace
and stability.
He thought it important to prevent Kurd-Arab clashes as well
as to fight the
PKK.



12. (C) Wexler advised a well-coordinated parliamentary trip
with the right
message would be helpful and suggested that a visit to Israel
by the FM and/or
PM would also help.


--------------
Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti
--------------



13. (C) Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti told
Congressman Wexler that
the AK government had taken office ill-prepared to address
Turkey's economic
problems, and its learning curve had been longer than
expected. After a brief
post-election boost, confidence fell in December-February in
the face of the
government's lack of enthusiasm for reform and growing
concerns about an Iraq
operation.



14. (C) The key issue, according to Serdengecti, is whether
there will be
sufficient political support to stick to the reform program,
and an absence of
political friction that could undermine confidence. While
the Prime Minister
and some others in the Party now have a better understanding
of the need for
the IMF program, others in AK do not. Moreover, there are
other "power groups"
in the country that oppose economic stabilization efforts
because they want to
see AK suffer and fall.



15. (C) Serdengecti concluded by arguing that he and other
technocrats had to
convince the government (and the rest of the state) of the
need to stick with
the reform program and to continue to move closer to the
West. On the economy,
he told PM Erdogan a week ago that the government could not
make any more
mistakes.


--------------
Parliamentary Meetings
--------------



16. (C) Wexler met with representatives of the Turkish
Parliament's Foreign
Affairs Committee and the U.S.-Turkish Friendship Committee,
whose leadership
consists entirely of CHP parliamentarians who had voted
against the March 1
resolution. Interlocutors included AKP MP and Foreign
Affairs Committee chair
Mehmet Dulger, CHP MP AND retired AMB Onur Oymen, and Foreign
Affairs Committee
staffer Osman Ulukan. Chairman Dulger thanked Wexler for his
visit, saying,
"Ours is a lasting friendship. Any misunderstandings should
be lifted." Dulger
advised shaping public opinion in Turkey and the U.S. in a
positive way, noting "We
do not want to give the impression to the Turkish people that
Turkey-U.S. ties are
weak. Ambassador Oymen followed, asserting that there is no
anti-American feeling
in CHP. Oymen applauded Wexler,s suggestion that Parliament
demonstrate a show of
support, while cautioning that it is not difficult to
persuade Turkey, but you
cannot force Turkey to do anything.
PEARSON