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