IRAQ: TURKEY DESIRES ANTI-TERRORISM PARA IN NEW

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002916 SIPDIS NSC FOR RICE, HADLEY AND BLACKWELL SECDEF ALSO FOR D/SECDEF WOLFOWITZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ TU PTER SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKEY DESIRES ANTI-TERRORISM PARA IN NEW UNSCR; "REAL" TURKMEN REP IN IIG REF: A. STATE 116099 ¶B. ANKARA 2876 (U) Classified by Ambassador Eric S. Edelman. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: MFA Deputy U/S Ali Tuygan told the Ambassador May 25 that the new Iraq Interim Government (IIG) should not include IGC member Mahmoud Othman (whom Turkey suspects of having ties with the PKK/Kongra Gel) but should included significant Turkoman representation. Regarding the draft UNSCR, Ankara would like to see a paragraph calling on the new Iraq not to harbor terrorists, a clear reference to the PKK/Kongra Gel. Foreign Minister Gul would likely call the Secretary to relay these points. Tuygan asked that the USG check out a report Ankara had just received that residents of Makhmour refugee camp were "being moved" to Kirkuk (action requested para 8). On other Iraqi issues, Tuygan and the Ambassador shared appreciation that the mil-mil mechanisms worked to resolve the potential problem when Turkish troops deployed to high ground just inside of Iraq last week, and agreed the US owed Turkey a response on the Peace Monitoring Force (ref b). End summary. ¶2. (C) MFA Deputy Under Secretary Ali Tuygan (who will become MFA Under Secretary later this summer) convoked the Ambassador May 25. Tuygan said that he had met with Foreign Minister Gul earlier in the day who instructed Tuygan to raise two Iraq issues with us which Ambassador Logoglu would repeat in Washington: the composition of the Iraq Interim Government and the draft UN Security Council Resolution which MFA had already received from Washington. The Iraq Interim Government -------------- ¶3. (C) Tuygan said there were many rumors about UN Special Representative Brahimi and his consultations/deliberations on the composition of the IIG, including stories about Kurdish leaders Barzani and Talabani arguing for "this or that." One rumor that particularly concerned Ankara was that Governing Council member Mahmoud Othman might be under consideration for a position in the IIG. Tuygan recalled how MFA U/S Ziyal had previously alerted the Ambassador to the GOT's belief that Othman had ties to the PKK/Kongra Gel terrorist group. ¶4. (C) Another concern Ankara has about the IIG's eventual composition was the need for Turkoman representation. As the third largest ethnic group in Iraq, Turkoman deserved real representation. He acknowledged that the community might had been a "disappointment" in the past, and mused that perhaps they were being punished for Turkey's failings. Nonetheless, if there were a repeat of the "Chapouk (the lone ethnic Turkoman representative on the IGC) or Othman experience," the GOT would have little domestic political room for maneuver and it could become hard to continue to cooperate on Iraq, he advised. He asked that the USG pay attention to this issue "at the highest levels." The Ambassador recalled that these points were similar to those Tuygan made to CPA Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Ron Neumann when he came to Ankara to consult about the Transition Administrative Law. Terrorism and the UNSCR -------------- ¶5. (S) Regarding the draft UNSCR, Tuygan said that MFA would provide considered comments after it had a chance to study the document. After a preliminary reading, he was instructed to note that operative paragraphs 11 and 13 addressed the responsibility of neighboring states to prevent terrorism and illegal arms shipments. Turkey believed that something should be said about Iraq's responsibility not to harbor terrorists of interest to its neighbors. (Comment: This is a clear reference to the continuing presence of the PKK/Kongra Gel in northern Iraq.) The Ambassador undertook to convey Tuygan's comments. Other issues -------------- ¶6. (C) Tuygan also raised the following related subjects, although not apparently under instruction: PMF: Tuygan reminded the Ambassador that the US owed Turkey an answer about whether the Iraqi members of the Peace Monitoring Force could be employed in Iraq's security services (ref b). Turkish Troops in Iraq: The two agreed that the military-to-military mechanism to head off problems in Iraq (the 2-star talks) appeared to work in resolving the coordination problems and misinformation with the recent deployment of Turkish military teams to five points in Iraq overlooking the Turkey-Iraq border where the Turks look for PKK/Kongra Gel infiltration of Turkey. Abu Ghraib: Tuygan noted that FM Gul would be addressing Iraq in parliament later that day. On the Abu Ghraib abuse issue, Gul would highlight the US's pledge to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Ambassador expressed appreciation and recalled that the President had stated that the investigations would go as far and as wide as necessary. He hoped the members, some of whom have been unhelpful in their remarks on the issue, would pay heed to Gul's remarks. Makhmour Residence and Kirkuk: Tuygan said Ankara had just received an intelligence report that Turkish Kurd refugees at the Makhmour camp "were being moved" to Kirkuk. He said the GOT did not know whether they were being induced or forced to relocate. He urged the USG to look into the matter. The Ambassador agreed to relay his request. Gul to Call the Secretary -------------- ¶7. (C) In closing, Tuygan said that FM Gul would likely call the Secretary to personally convey the points on the IIG and the UNSCR. Action Request -------------- ¶8. (C) We request Washington and CPA look into the allegation that residents at Makhmour are being relocated to Kirkuk. ¶9. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. EDELMAN