CHALLENGE TO CREDENTIALS REPORT: TURKEY DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 007626

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2013
TAGS: IS KPAL PREL TU
SUBJECT: CHALLENGE TO CREDENTIALS REPORT: TURKEY DEMARCHE

REF: A. STATE 339919

B. STATE 325119


(U) Classified by Political Counselor John Kunstadter, E.O.
12958, reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).



1. (C) We delivered ref A demarche to MFA Middle East
Department Head Kemal Tuzun on December 12, stressing that
this credentails challenge threatened to invite further
attempts to bring territorial disputes to the credentialing
process, turning a routine procedure into political
wrangling, and that there were many other fora where these
territorial issues could be raised. Tuzun said he would
communicate our demarche to Turkey's UN delegation, noting
our concerns about this misuse of the credentialing process.
Tuzun strongly recommended that the USDEL raise this directly
with the Turkish delegation as well. He declined to predict
how Turkey would vote.



2. (C) Tuzun also raised the subject of Turkey's vote in
support of seeking an opinion from the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) about the legality of the Israeli separation
barrier (ref B). Tuzun argued that the Turkish Permrep's
explanation of vote, which he said strongly condemned
terrorism, was more important than the vote itself. We urged
Tuzun to stress the GOT's anti-terror message bilaterally to
the Palestinians and other regional countries as well.
EDELMAN