NORTHERN IRAQ: PAVING THE WAY FOR US-TURKEY-KURD

S E C R E T ANKARA 000539

SIPDIS


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


E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2013
TAGS: PREL MARR PREF PHUM TU IZ
SUBJECT: NORTHERN IRAQ: PAVING THE WAY FOR US-TURKEY-KURD
TRILATS

REF: A. STATE 18029

B. ANKARA 283

C. ANKARA 278


Classified by Ambassador W. Robert Pearson. Reasons 1.5 b
and d.



1. (S) Ambassador conveyed Ref A points to MFA Undersecretary
Ugur Ziyal Jan. 22. Ziyal said he had no problems with the
ideas therein (with the exception of the military forces
point which needs to be addressed in mil-mil channels) and
added that the GOT would like to start talking with the US
about the future of Iraq. He said that Turkey had serious,
well-founded concerns about the future of Iraq that it wanted
to discuss with us. Ziyal noted that we refer to the Iraqi
Turkmen as "a minority," which he conceded it might be as no
one could know Iraqi demographics with any certainty until a
new, free census was held. However, he said, Turkey
considered the Turkmen a "main segment of Iraqi society," and
not a minority, and he hoped the US would refer to it as
such.



2. (S) Ziyal said the point on the PKK/KADEK was important,
and stated that the Turks had a convergence of views on this
and other issues of cooperation with KDP leader Masoud
Barzani when Barzani was here in early January. He hoped
that convergence would lead to a return to the close
cooperation Turkey and the KDP had in the past.



3. (S) On the talks themselves, Ziyal asked if the GOT should
wait for Amb. Khalilzad's visit or send a team to Washington.
We recommended the GOT wait unless they felt the need to do
something immediately. Ziyal said he would wait. He then
asked if we were interested in a 5-way discussion
(US-Turkey-KDP-PUK-Iraqi Turkmen Front). Ambassador replied
that we would ask Washington to review the suggestion.





4. (S) Comment: Based on this conversation, and assuming an
outcome to the Salahadeen opposition conference with which
Turkey is comfortable, and provided the KDP, PUK and we are
prepared to enter joint discussions soon with the Turks and
the ITF, we may need only one short round of proximity talks
before moving into a face-to-face phase. End Comment.
PEARSON