TERRORIST FINANCING: TURKEY APPRECIATES USG

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001579

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2014
TAGS: PREL PTER EFIN ETTC TU
SUBJECT: TERRORIST FINANCING: TURKEY APPRECIATES USG
EFFORTS WITH EU ON KADEK/KONGRA GEL


REF: A. STATE 56318

B. STATE 38359

C. ANKARA 514

D. STATE 6143


(U) Classified by Political Military Counselor Timothy A.
Betts. Reasons 1.4 b and d.



1. (C) PolMilCouns briefed MFA DDG for Intelligence Kemal
Asya March 16 on the latest USG approach to EU members on
extending the EU's terrorist financing designation of the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to its successors, the
Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) and the
Kurdistan People's Congress (KONGRA GEL) (ref a).
DepEconCouns initially briefed Asya on this issue in January,
emphasizing the need for Turkey to make a greater effort to
convince EU members to support Kongra Gel designation (refs c
and d). PolCouns followed up in late February when he
briefed Asya on the round of demarches our Embassies were
making on this issue then (ref b).



2. (C) Asya recalled our earlier suggestions that Turkey
could do more itself by delivering strong demarches to the
Europeans. He said that after learning of our February
demarches, MFA had instructed their embassies in EU capitals
to make similar approaches, providing a list of recent
KADEK/KONGRA GEL attacks in Turkey, although without making
reference to the US overtures. (Note: Asya admitted to
PolCouns in earlier meeting that Turkish embassies had merely
been going through the motions. End note.) Asya also noted
that both FM Gul and MFA U/S Ziyal always raise the
KADEK/KONGRA GEL designation issue in their meetings with
European counterparts. He said the GOT appreciated the USG's
continuing efforts with the Europeans.
EDELMAN