POSSIBLE EDUCATION MINISTRY MOVEMENT ON HALKI?

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 001647

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2013
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE EDUCATION MINISTRY MOVEMENT ON HALKI?


REF: ISTANBUL 1347


Classified By: A/CG Stuart Smith for reason 1.4 (d).



1. (SBU) Summary: Recent encouraging comments by Turkish
government officials about prospects for re-opening Halki
Theological Seminary have sparked extensive press interest.
Education Minister Huseyin Celik, in a recent meeting with
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, said that re-opening Halki
(possibly as a theological technical school) is long overdue
and would be good for the development of Turkish democracy.
The Greek Orthodox Community, while optimistic, is not
holding its breath. End Summary.



2. (SBU) On October 30, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met
with National Education Minister Huseyin Celik to discuss the
status of the Halki Seminary on Heybeli Island, outside
Istanbul. Patriarchate sources were very pleased by Celik's
"positive outlook," but said that no concrete steps for the
re-opening of Halki (which has been closed since 1971) were
taken.



3. (C) According to Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia, the
idea to re-designate Halki as a part of the Theological
Faculty of Istanbul University is now not being seriously
considered. Instead, he said, Halki may be re-opened as a
private theological "technical school." Questions remain as
to whether Halki would be allowed to administer a four-year
course of study, or would be limited to only one year.
Meliton said the Patriarchate would be willing to discuss
this point further.



4. (U) Following the meeting with Bartholomew, Celik made a
statement to the press that "the issue of the seminary on
Heybeli Island has been on the agenda for 32 years, and
doesn't need to be protracted any longer." Further, he said,
"having a free education in Christian theology is a necessary
part of the democratic structure of the Turkish state." All
major press coverage of the meeting was positive.



5. (C) In a separate meeting, Yavuz Onen, Human Rights
Foundation President (protect),said that he believes nothing
new is happening, and that Celik's press statements were
intended as positive human rights publicity for the EU's
benefit. Onen has been involved in discussions on the status
of Halki for many years.



6. (C) Comment: The Patriarchate hears good things from all
AK Party ministers they've met with. While the meetings
indicate a more open-minded attitude to the issue in the
Erdogan government, to date the government has not followed
words with action, and reaction from the Kemalist core has
been unremittingly harsh and xenophobic. Moreover, our
attempts to find anyone in the Education Ministry in Ankara
who is responsible for what Celik said would be a commission
to study the way ahead have gone for nought.



7. (C) Additionally, the Patriarchate told us that, in their
August meeting, PM Erdogan implied to Bartholomew that, in
return for opening Halki, he might expect some quid pro quo
from Greece with regard to the treatment of the Turkish
minority in Thrace and/or the long-delayed opening of a
mosque in Athens (a linkage that the Patriarchate rejects).
We are continuing to press GoT and AK Party officials for
clarification of Celik's statement and the GoT's intent. End
comment.
SMITH