AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE VISIT TO ANKARA, JUNE 6,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003918

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER IS TU
SUBJECT: AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE VISIT TO ANKARA, JUNE 6,
2003


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



1. (C) Five members of the American Jewish Committee (AJC)
including Harold Tanner, president, Shula Bahat, chief
operating officer, Stanley Bergman, board member, Marian
Bergman, board member and Barry Jacobs, director of strategic
studies visited Ankara on Friday, June 6 to meet with senior
GOT officials Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and
General Hilmi Ozkok, as well as AK Vice Chairman for Press
Murat Mercan.



2. (C) Tanner delivered a message to Turkish interlocutors
that the Middle East Peace Road Map may change regional
dynamics, just as the fall of Iraq changed many things in the
region and suggested that without the fall of Iraq, there
might not have been an opportunity to restart the peace
process. He cautioned that the new dynamic places a greater
burden on Turkey to define its place in the world order.



3. (C) High-level Turkish interlocutors reiterated
consistently similar themes to Tanner at each visit. Erdogan
noted the importance of the AJC and praised its efforts on
behalf of Turkey in Washington. He also stressed that Turkey
could play a major role in the Middle East, commenting that
Gul was planning to visit Sharon and Abu Mazen and that he
himself planned to make a follow on trip to the region. Gul
said Turkish-Jewish relations




disappointment in Turkey's
level of support for the war in Iraq, but argued that Turkey
is able and willing to be a valuable partner for the U.S. on
Iraq, as well as Iran and the Middle East Roadmap. In
response Tanner advised the damage to the U.S.-Turkey
relationship can be repaired, but with actions, not words.
Reacting to Gul's comment that Turkey has no objection to a
resolution on the ARMENIAn issue as long as the word
"genocide" is not used, Jacobs said the AJC will continue to
lobby against an ARMENIAn genocide resolution, but it will be
more difficult to defeat than in previous years.



4. (C) Tanner thanked Ozkok, his last appointment of the
day, for what he described as a summation of Turkey's foreign
policy and recommended that Ozkok (i.e., the Turkish
government) suggest things they can/are doing. Ozkok
described the current rift (with the U.S.) as a
"misunderstanding" and insisted Turkey "could and should play
an important role in Iraq." Observing that the ARMENIAn
genocide issue posed bilateral and multilateral challenges
for Turkey, Ozkok asserted that Turkey is very careful in its
dealings with Iran and Syria since they are immediate
neighbors. Tanner cautioned that members of Congress were
surprised, hurt and offended that a strategic partner such as
Turkey had not supported the U.S., which would make it much
harder to defeat the ARMENIAn genocide resolution this year.
Tanner recommended that Turkey help with the humanitarian and
infrastructure rebuilding of Iraq. Concluding the meeting
with Ozkok, the Ambassador suggested that it would be helpful
if Turkey explained what it considered to be legitimate
activities, i.e., refueling or training, that could be
conducted at Incirlik,
PEARSON