WOLFOWITZ AND PERLE REMARKS REVIVE DEBATE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 000667

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV TK
SUBJECT: WOLFOWITZ AND PERLE REMARKS REVIVE DEBATE ON
U.S.-TURKEY TIES


Classified By: Consul General David Arnett for reasons 1.5 (b & d)



1. (C) Summary: Recent remarks by DOD Deputy Secretary
Wolfowitz and Defense Policy Board Member Perle have revived
a rancorous public debate in Istanbul on the status of
U.S.-Turkish relations. Reactions to the May 6 Wolfowitz
interview on CNN Turk also dominated our previously-scheduled
May 7 meetings with a range of local contacts. In
characteristic Turkish fashion, a pro-U.S. NGO leader, a
retired Admiral, and a local district mayor bristled
self-defensively upon hearing criticism from a foreign
quarter. After some discussion and reflection, however, our
contacts generally accepted the criticism (while maintaining
that the USG had made mistakes of its own) and focused on the
need to rebuild the damaged bilateral relationship. End
Summary.



2. (C) The following comments provide a sample of the local
reaction to DOD Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's remarks
during a May 6 CNN Turk interview:


- Retired 3-star Admiral Attila Kayat remarked that it was
hypocritical and inappropriate for Wolfowitz to claim that
the Turkish military should have taken a stronger (and hence
"undemocratic") stand in the lead-up to the Turkish
parliament vote on whether to allow U.S. troops to enter
Turkey;
- ARI Movement President Kemal Koprulu characterized the
remarks as "blunt," and while admitting that Turkey had made
mistakes before the vote, argued that the USG had made
mistakes as well;
- Nonplused, Beykoz District Mayor Alaattin Koseler (from
former PM Ecevit's Democratic Left Party) asked how deeply
felt Wolfowitz's opinions were within the USG in general.
Though accepting of poloff's explanation that the remarks did
not run contrary to the idea that Turkey and the U.S.
remained close allies, Koseler voiced concern that Turkish
public opinion would react badly regardless of the intended
meaning.



3. (C) After some discussion and reflection, however, both
Kayat and Koprulu readily admitted that Turkey had made
mistakes and that Wolfowitz had correctly focused on the need
to rebuild the bilateral relationship. Kayat was reluctant
to hold his former military colleagues responsible, arguing
instead that the Justice and Development (AK) Party
government should have simply said "no" to the USG from the
beginning, instead of making promises and engaging in
negotiations over an assistance package. Koprulu readily
accepted that the GOT, the opposition Republican People's
Party (CHP),the bureaucracy, and the military all made
mistakes. Both Koprulu and Kayat argued, however, that the
USG's failure to "sell" its case for war to Turkey was a key
element in the fateful parliamentary decision.



4. (U) Defense Board member Richard Perle repeated some of
Wolfowitz's points at a May 8 conference, and went on to
openly criticize the inexperience of the new Turkish
government and irresponsibility of the opposition CHP. The
questions following Perle's remarks on "whether Turkey would
be forced to pay a price for not supporting the U.S." and
"what Turkey would need to do to repair the relationship"
reflect general concerns in Istanbul on the issue. Perle
responded that the U.S. has no plans for a retaliatory policy
and called for both sides to rediscover mutual interests,
undertake joint projects, and rebuild the damaged bilateral
relationship. By criticizing the regimes in Syria and Iraq
as "undemocratic" and "supportive of terrorists" and
expressing hope for rapid regime change in both, Perle
implicitly warned against a Turkish policy which would ignore
core U.S. interests and implied that this should be an area
where Turkey and the U.S. work together.



5. (C) Comment: The remarks by Wolfowitz and Perle have
revived the underlying unease among our contacts in Istanbul
regarding the strained U.S.-Turkish relationship.
Ever-sensitive to foreign criticism, initial reactions were
self-defensive, but if our contacts are any indication,
further reflection may lead many here to look for productive
ways to begin rebuilding the partnership.
ARNETT