MFA MIDDLE EAST DIRECTOR-GENERAL: THERE IS A

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004539

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2013
TAGS: IZ KPAO PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: MFA MIDDLE EAST DIRECTOR-GENERAL: THERE IS A
TERRORIST SUPPORTER WITHIN THE IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL


(U) Classified by Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Deutsch.
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).



1. (U) Action request at para 7. Baghdad minimize considered.



2. (S) SUMMARY. DCM met with Tahsin Burcuoglu
(Director-General for Middle East, OIC, and North Africa
Affairs at the MFA) on July 18 at the latter's request.
Burcuoglu passed the DCM a paper outlining the reasons why
the GOT believes Mahmoud Othman, who has recently been
appointed as a member of the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC),
has close links with the PKK/KADEK (full text of the paper is
at para 8). END SUMMARY.


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MAHMOUD OTHMAN -- A TERRORIST WITHIN THE IGC?
--------------



3. (S) BACKGROUND: There have been numerous reports in the
days since the establishment of the IGC that one of its
members, Mahmoud Othman, is a member of the PKK/KADEK and the
PKK-fronted Kurdish Parliament in Exile. When asked about his
affiliations, he said to a Turkish newspaper that, as a Kurd,
he is a friend to all Kurds, including Turkey's Kurds, Media
TV, and the PKK. If the GOT sees its Kurds as terrorists,
than he is a terrorist. The Embassy has received calls from
the media on this issue and has been responding with USG
policy:


-- the US considers the PKK/KADEK to be a terrorist
organization;
-- we are working to ensure that Iraq is not a safehaven for
any terrorists;
-- we are working with the Turkish government to address the
issue of the PKK/KADEK presence in Iraq.



4. (C) BACKGROUND CONT: It is worth noting that the stories
about Othman were raised by a journalist from "Ulusal TV,"
which with "Aydinlik" magazine is affiliated with the
left-wing nationalist Workers' Party of Dogu Perincek -- a
noted conduit of material from the TGS and various other
elements of the Turkish "Deep State"/security organs. As
Cuneyt Ulsever of "Hurriyet" explained to us privately on
July 16, the Perincek press ambush is typical of the wider
effort by defenders of a hard-line statist status quo to
deflect attention from Turkish impropriety in Iraq. END
BACKGROUND.



5. (S) MFA Middle East Director-General Burcuoglu called in
the DCM on July 18 to pass a paper outlining the reasons why
the GOT believes Mahmoud Othman has close links with the
PKK/KADEK. Burcuoglu stressed that the GOT is very unhappy
with Othman's presence on the IGC. He also said that General
Ozkok would likely raise this issue with General Abizaid
during their meeting on July 18, as would FM Gul during his
upcoming trip to Washington.



6. (S) The DCM told Burcuoglu that it was certainly never the
intention of the USG to put a PKK/KADEK sympathizer on the
IGC. However, the USG had found no link to the PKK/KADEK.
U.S. policy on terrorists is consistent. The USG would
welcome any additional information on Othman which the GOT
believes to be relevant. Burcuoglu responded that he would
ask that relevant information be shared with the USG through
other channels.


--------------
ACTION REQUEST
--------------



7. (C) Embassy Ankara requests that Washington provide
guidance ASAP regarding the allegations that Othman has close
links with the PKK/KADEK, so that we can effectively respond
to these allegations.


--------------
TEXT OF MFA PAPER ON OTHMAN
--------------



8. (S) Begin text of paper:


-- Mahmoud Othman, who is appointed as a member of the Iraqi
Governing Council established on 13 July, 2003, is known to
have close relations with PKK/KADEK terrorist organization
and its leadership.
-- Previously, he had participated in the meetings of the
so-called "Kurdish Parliament in exile" and "Kurdistan
National Congress," which were set up on the initiative of
the PKK/KADEK terrorist organization.


-- During the armed clashes between the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan and PKK/KADEK terrorist organization in 2000 in
northern Iraq, he acted as a mediator upon the request of the
terrorist organization.


-- He participated in several programmes of "Media TV," a TV
channel of the terrorist organization.


-- He made several statements supporting and praising Ocalan,
leader of the PKK/KADEK terrorist organization.


-- In his statement reflected in today's Turkish press, he
explicitly reveals his close relationship with the terrorist
organization (..."I am a friend of KADEK"...)


-- To have a person in the Iraqi Governing Council, declaring
his support for PKK/KADEK which is recognized as a terrorist
organization by the US, is regrettable.


-- This makes Mahmoud Othman's presence in the Iraqi
Governing Council improper and may curtail Turkey's effective
cooperation with the Council.


-- We expect the US to take appropriate action in this
respect. END TEXT.




PEARSON