USG POLICY ON CONTACT WITH THE PKK

S E C R E T ANKARA 004032

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2014
TAGS: PTER PREL IZ TU
SUBJECT: USG POLICY ON CONTACT WITH THE PKK

REF: A. STATE 156062


B. ANKARA 3901

Classified By: (U) Charge d'Affaires a.i. Robert S. Deutsch. Reason: 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) During a July 19 meeting on another subject, MFA DDG
for Intelligence and Research Hakan Okcal asked polmilcouns
whether he had any news about the PKK. Okcal confirmed that
he knew that the Turkish General Staff had relayed some
information the previous week (ref b). Drawing on ref a,
polmilcouns assured Okcal that Embassy Baghdad was looking
into the allegations, and that it remained USG policy that
there be no official contact, either civilian or military,
with the PKK/KADEK/Kongra Gel or the PKK front organization,
the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party.


2. (S) Okcal acknowledged that the USG has long considered
the PKK and its successor and front organizations as
terrorists. However, "the PKK should be eliminated from
northern Iraq," he said. Polmilcouns recalled that the
President had reiterated during his June visit here that
removing the threat to Turkey from the PKK/KADEK/Kongra Gel
in Iraq remains a USG goal as well.


3. (S) During EUR DAS Laura Kennedy's call on MFA DU/S Tuygan
July 20, Charge passed the same message per instructions ref
a. Tuygan did not react.


4. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
DEUTSCH