Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ANKARA549
2003-01-23 11:31:00
SECRET
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:
TURKEY: PRESS ALLEGATIONS OF USG SUPPORT FOR PKK:
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000549
SIPDIS
CENTCOM AND EUCOM: PLEASE PASS TO POLADS AND J-5
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: PRESS ALLEGATIONS OF USG SUPPORT FOR PKK:
OUR RESPONSE
(U) Classified by Ambassador W.R. Pearson. Reason:
1.5(b)(c)(d)
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000549
SIPDIS
CENTCOM AND EUCOM: PLEASE PASS TO POLADS AND J-5
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: PRESS ALLEGATIONS OF USG SUPPORT FOR PKK:
OUR RESPONSE
(U) Classified by Ambassador W.R. Pearson. Reason:
1.5(b)(c)(d)
1. (C) Summary: Amid strong anxiety in Turkey about a
possible war with Iraq, recent reports in the Turkish media
alleging that the USG and specific members of the Mission
staff are in contact with and supporting the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK, aka KADEK) have been brought to our
attention at senior levels of the MFA and other GOT
bureaucracies. We have categorically denied the allegations
to senior GOT officials and to the press. End Summary.
--------------
Accusations in the Press
--------------
2. (U) Beginning in January, the weekly "Aydinlik" magazine,
which espouses a militant leftist-Kemalist ideological line,
began to run stories alleging that USG officials (including
CIA) are in contact with, and supplying millions of dollars
to, the terrorist PKK/KADEK. Worker's Party leader Dogu
Perincek, for whom both "Aydinlik" and the new "Ulusal" TV
Station serve as vehicles, also claimed that the State
Security Court Prosecutor's Office began an official
investigation Jan. 6, specifically into "reports" that CIA
had provided the PKK with USD 125 million to begin
preparations for a renewed terror campaign in Turkey.
3. (U) The stories are surfacing in the mainstream press.
The Jan. 18 and Jan. 21 editions of the daily "Milliyet"
carried two articles claiming that: 1) USG officials met with
PKK/KADEK members in a Middle Eastern country in January
2002; and 2) Davut Bagistani, a notorious suspected PKK
figure, had arranged six such meetings, the most recent in
early December 2002. Other papers followed suit on Jan. 22,
adding the assertion that the Turkish National Intelligence
Organization (MIT) had "confirmed" the meetings, and that
Gen. Ozkok, Chief of the Turkish General Staff (TGS),had
raised the issue with Gen. Myers during their Jan. 20 meeting
in Ankara. In a subsequent press conference, Perincek
alleged that DCM, D/Polcouns, and Embassy Press Officer --
all of whom he had earlier accused of various allegedly
nefarious pro-Islam and pro-Kurdish activities -- are
"managing" the USG-PKK relationship and should be PNG'd
forthwith. The Jan 23 "Milliyet" again reported Perincek's
line.
--------------
MFA Raises the Issue
--------------
4. (S) MFA U/S Ziyal raised the matter with Ambassador Jan
22, presenting him with a copy of an article in the daily
"Aksam." Ziyal said that "we know Bagistani -- he is a
shady character." He also stated that he "knows" from his
time at the Turkish Mission in Damascus that CIA had contact
with PKK years ago -- "not with Ocalan, but others."
Ambassador replied that its conceivable the PKK may well be
trying to create the impression that they are in contact with
the USG. Nevertheless, there is nothing to these stories.
Ambassador further noted that Embassy went on public record
to deny the allegations.
--------------
Comment
--------------
5. (C) Based on all information available to us, we have
categorically denied the allegations to senior GOT officials
and to the press. Perincek and his media organs appear to
have been the first to generate the stories. A noted
leftist-nationalist gadfly, Perincek made headlines last year
by exposing to public view reports, highly critical of
Turkey, by the EU's Ambassador to Turkey -- which she had
sent to Brussels via unclassified e-mail. Perincek claimed
he had obtained the reports from friends in "the security
apparatus"; politicians and others in Ankara take it as
gospel that Perincek has connections to elements of the
military/intelligence. Aydinlik's distribution is small, as
is support for Perincek's Worker's Party. Nevertheless, as
reflected in both Ziyal's evident suspicions and in the
willingness of mainstream press to pick up on these
allegations, the ideas espoused by Perincek/Aydinlik have
considerable currency among the Establishment and the
intelligentsia.
PEARSON
SIPDIS
CENTCOM AND EUCOM: PLEASE PASS TO POLADS AND J-5
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: PRESS ALLEGATIONS OF USG SUPPORT FOR PKK:
OUR RESPONSE
(U) Classified by Ambassador W.R. Pearson. Reason:
1.5(b)(c)(d)
1. (C) Summary: Amid strong anxiety in Turkey about a
possible war with Iraq, recent reports in the Turkish media
alleging that the USG and specific members of the Mission
staff are in contact with and supporting the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK, aka KADEK) have been brought to our
attention at senior levels of the MFA and other GOT
bureaucracies. We have categorically denied the allegations
to senior GOT officials and to the press. End Summary.
--------------
Accusations in the Press
--------------
2. (U) Beginning in January, the weekly "Aydinlik" magazine,
which espouses a militant leftist-Kemalist ideological line,
began to run stories alleging that USG officials (including
CIA) are in contact with, and supplying millions of dollars
to, the terrorist PKK/KADEK. Worker's Party leader Dogu
Perincek, for whom both "Aydinlik" and the new "Ulusal" TV
Station serve as vehicles, also claimed that the State
Security Court Prosecutor's Office began an official
investigation Jan. 6, specifically into "reports" that CIA
had provided the PKK with USD 125 million to begin
preparations for a renewed terror campaign in Turkey.
3. (U) The stories are surfacing in the mainstream press.
The Jan. 18 and Jan. 21 editions of the daily "Milliyet"
carried two articles claiming that: 1) USG officials met with
PKK/KADEK members in a Middle Eastern country in January
2002; and 2) Davut Bagistani, a notorious suspected PKK
figure, had arranged six such meetings, the most recent in
early December 2002. Other papers followed suit on Jan. 22,
adding the assertion that the Turkish National Intelligence
Organization (MIT) had "confirmed" the meetings, and that
Gen. Ozkok, Chief of the Turkish General Staff (TGS),had
raised the issue with Gen. Myers during their Jan. 20 meeting
in Ankara. In a subsequent press conference, Perincek
alleged that DCM, D/Polcouns, and Embassy Press Officer --
all of whom he had earlier accused of various allegedly
nefarious pro-Islam and pro-Kurdish activities -- are
"managing" the USG-PKK relationship and should be PNG'd
forthwith. The Jan 23 "Milliyet" again reported Perincek's
line.
--------------
MFA Raises the Issue
--------------
4. (S) MFA U/S Ziyal raised the matter with Ambassador Jan
22, presenting him with a copy of an article in the daily
"Aksam." Ziyal said that "we know Bagistani -- he is a
shady character." He also stated that he "knows" from his
time at the Turkish Mission in Damascus that CIA had contact
with PKK years ago -- "not with Ocalan, but others."
Ambassador replied that its conceivable the PKK may well be
trying to create the impression that they are in contact with
the USG. Nevertheless, there is nothing to these stories.
Ambassador further noted that Embassy went on public record
to deny the allegations.
--------------
Comment
--------------
5. (C) Based on all information available to us, we have
categorically denied the allegations to senior GOT officials
and to the press. Perincek and his media organs appear to
have been the first to generate the stories. A noted
leftist-nationalist gadfly, Perincek made headlines last year
by exposing to public view reports, highly critical of
Turkey, by the EU's Ambassador to Turkey -- which she had
sent to Brussels via unclassified e-mail. Perincek claimed
he had obtained the reports from friends in "the security
apparatus"; politicians and others in Ankara take it as
gospel that Perincek has connections to elements of the
military/intelligence. Aydinlik's distribution is small, as
is support for Perincek's Worker's Party. Nevertheless, as
reflected in both Ziyal's evident suspicions and in the
willingness of mainstream press to pick up on these
allegations, the ideas espoused by Perincek/Aydinlik have
considerable currency among the Establishment and the
intelligentsia.
PEARSON