AMBASSADOR'S JANUARY 18 CONVERSATION WITH FOREIGN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000361 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2014 TAGS: CY IZ PGOV PINS PREL TU SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S JANUARY 18 CONVERSATION WITH FOREIGN MINISTER GUL REF: A. A) STATE 012103 ¶B. B) STATE 010120 (U) CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ERIC S. EDELMAN. REASONS: 1.5(B) AND (D) ¶1. (S) TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AN EARLIER SCHEDULED FAMILY BRUNCH ON JANUARY 18, AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED PM ERDOGAN'S UPCOMING VISIT TO WASHINGTON EXTENSIVELY WITH DEPUTY PM AND FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH GUL. FM GUL LISTENED ATTENTIVELY AS AMBASSADOR WALKED THROUGH THE POINTS IN REFS A AND B LINE BY LINE. AMBASSADOR STRESSED THAT THE U.S. SIDE SAW THE MEETING, NOT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BARGAIN OR NEGOTIATE, BUT RATHER A PHILOSOPHICAL AND STRATEGIC CONVERSATION ON THE FUTURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP AT THE OUTSET OF A CRUCIAL YEAR FOR TURKEY AND OUR RELATIONSHIP. AMBASSADOR STRESSED THE BASIC PARAMETERS OF OUR APPROACH ON KIRKUK AND ASKED THAT TURKEY USE ITS INFLUENCE, AS WE WERE USING OURS, TO KEEP ALL PARTIES CALM. ¶2. (S) GUL REPLIED THAT THE AK PARTY GOVERNMENT WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PM'S VISIT IN THE SAME SPIRIT. WITH REGARD TO CYPRUS HE NOTED THAT HE AND THE PM BELIEVED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN ELECTED TO PRESIDE OVER THE STATUS QUO BUT RATHER TO MAKE "CHANGES FOR THE BETTERMENT OF TURKEY AND THE PEOPLE OF TURKEY." GUL SAID THE GOT WAS WORKING HARD TO GET A CONSENSUS POSITION AGREED IN ANKARA. NOTING THAT HE HAD INSTRUCTED U/SECRETARY ZIYAL AND COLLEAGUES TO WORK WITH TGS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING ON A "COMMON DRAFT" SO THAT THE USUAL BUREAUCRATIC LOGJAM OF COMPETING DRAFTS WAS AVOIDED. HE ADDED THAT MUCH HARD WORK HAD BEEN DONE WITH THE TURKISH PARTIES IN NORTHERN CYPRUS. HE EXPRESSED GREAT CONFIDENCE THAT THE OUTCOME OF THE NSC MEETING ON JANUARY 23 WOULD ENABLE THE UN SYG TO MOVE FORWARD TO NEGOTIATIONS. GUL ADDED RATHER PLAINTIVELY, "BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP. WE WANT THE U.S. INVOLVED AT A POLITICAL LEVEL TO HELP FACILITATE THE NEGOTIATIONS." ¶3. (S) IN RESPONSE, AMBASSADOR DREW ATTENTION TO U.S. WILLINGNESS TO 'WORK WITH THE UNSYG AT WHATEVER LEVEL NECESSARY TO FACILITATE FAIR AND REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS TO ANNAN III; CHANGES WOULD REQUIRE CONCESSIONS FROM BOTH SIDES." REMINDING GUL OF HIS DECEMBER 9 MEETING WITH U/SEC GROSSMAN, AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT SECRETARY POWELL HAD INDICATED HIS READINESS TO BECOME PERSONALLY INVOLVED IF IT COULD BE HELPFUL. IN ADDITION, AMBASSADOR WESTON, WHO HAD VISITED TURKEY THREE TIMES SINCE AMBASSADOR EDELMAN'S ARRIVAL, WOULD CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE ISSUE. GUL SAID THE PM WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY DISCUSS HIS DESIRE FOR AN ONGOING U.S. POLITICAL LEVEL INVOLVEMENT IN HIS MEETING WITH PRESIDENT BUSH (AFTER HIS DISCUSSION WITH THE UNSYG IN DAVOS). ¶4. (S) ON IRAQ, GUL WELCOMED THE RECENT U.S. DESIGNATION OF KONGRA GEL AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION AND THE NEWS THAT THE U.S. WOULD BE PREPARED TO ADDRESS LONG-STANDING TURKISH CONCERNS ON THE PKK DURING THE VISIT. HE DID NOT DWELL ON THE PKK ISSUE, HOWEVER, BUT WAS QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT IRAQ'S POLITICAL FUTURE AND THE QUESTION OF FEDERALISM. GUL SAID THAT ETHNIC FEDERALISM WAS A POTENTIAL THREAT TO IRAQ'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND ULTIMATELY TO TURKEY'S AS WELL. HE SAID HE HAD SUMMONED BARHAM SALIH TO HIS RESIDENCE THE PREVIOUS EVENING (JANUARY 17) TO DISCUSS THE MATTER. (FYI: THE TURKISH PRESS HAS STILL NOT REPORTED ON THIS MEETING. PREVIOUSLY TURKISH MEDIA HAD SUGGESTED THAT TURKEY WOULD CONVEY ITS DISPLEASURE WITH THE RECENT KDP-PUK AGREEMENT ON FEDERALISM BY HAVING GUL STIFF SALIH. END FYI) GUL SAID HE HAD TOLD HIS GUEST THAT THE KURDS HAD BUILT WHAT THEY HAD UNDER THE PROTECTION AFFORDED BY U.S.-TURKISH COOPERATION IN ONW AND WITH OTHER TURKISH ASSISTANCE OVER THE YEARS. "TURKS AND KURDS SHOULD NOT BE AT EACH OTHER'S THROATS." HE INDICATED CONCERN TO BARHEM THAT KURDISH OVERREACHING COULD JEOPARDIZE THE POLITICAL PROCESS IN IRAQ. HE NOTED THAT TURKEY HAD OVERPLAYED THE TURKMEN CARD IN THE PAST AND THAT THE TURKMEN POPULATION IN IRAQ NEEDED TO BECOME MORE LIKE THE TURKS IN BULGARIA WHO WERE "BULGARIANS FIRST." NONETHELESS, THERE WAS CONCERN ABOUT THEM IN TURKEY AND SOME DUE REGARD FOR THE STATUS OF THE TURKMEN IN IRAQ NEEDED TO BE EXERCISED. THEY WERE AN IMPORTANT PART OF IRAQ'S MULTI-ETHNIC MAKEUP. GUL EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE U.S. APPROACH IN KIRKUK AND SAID HE WISHED THE U.S. WELL. "WE WANT YOU TO SUCCEED IN BUILDING A DEMOCRATIC IRAQ," HE SAID, "THERE REALLY IS NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE." ¶5. (S) AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT TURKEY'S TRADITIONAL GEOSTRATEGIC IMPORTANCE TO THE U.S. WAS, IF ANYTHING, GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. PRESIDENT BUSH HAD SIGNIFICANTLY REORIENTED U.S. POLICY IN THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST. THE U.S.G. WOULD NO LONGER BE SILENT ABOUT THE ABSENCE OF DEMOCRATIZATION AND THE FAILURE TO MEET BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS. TURKEY WAS A POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF A SECULAR, MUSLIM DEMOCRACY THAT WAS SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC REFORMS IN ORDER TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF EU ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS. TURKEY'S SUCCESS WAS IMPORTANT TO THE U.S. AND WAS SOMETHING WE HOPED TO HIGHLIGHT AT THE ISTANBUL SUMMIT. GUL SAID HE HAD NO DOUBT THAT TURKEY COULD PLAY A VALUABLE ROLE IN FURTHERING U.S. POLICY GOALS IN THE REGION. TURKEY, HE ASSERTED, COULD SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS (AS HE HAD IN TEHRAN AT THE OIC SOME MONTHS AGO) WITHOUT AROUSING SUSPICIONS. HE LOOKED FORWARD, HE SAID, TO HEARING FROM AMBASSADORS SENSOY AND MORALI ABOUT THEIR DISCUSSIONS IN WASHINGTON ON U.S. IDEAS FOR USING THE NATO SUMMIT TO ADVANCE A BROADER AGENDA IN THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST. EDELMAN