KFOR: TURKEY NOT LIKELY TO LIFT CURRENT CAVEATS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004269

SIPDIS

NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2009
TAGS: MOPS PREL TU YI
SUBJECT: KFOR: TURKEY NOT LIKELY TO LIFT CURRENT CAVEATS,
BUT WILL RECONSIDER

REF: A. STATE 162868


B. PRISTINA 951

Classified By: A/DCM Timothy A. Betts for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) On July 30, PolMilOff called on Alper Coskun, MFA
Director for NATO and Euro-Atlantic Defense and Security
Affairs, to deliver ref a demarche. Coskun responded that
after the March violence in Kosovo, Turkey revised its
caveats for both SFOR and KFOR in an effort to be more
effective and helpful. He read aloud the new caveat, which
matches almost verbatim our understanding of Turkey's latest
position noted ref b. He added that most Turkish troops are
not trained in crowd and riot control (CRC),and that CRC
could be a particularly sensitive area for Turkey in this
region. He asked rhetorically: "What would the response be
if we had to subdue a Serbian crowd, or even an Albanian one?"


2. (C) Nevertheless, Coskun emphasized, Turkey has its troops
in KFOR and SFOR not as a showcase but "to be useful."
Though he did not believe the GOT was ready to revise its
caveats again, he said it would consider our request. He
added that it was certain that the GOT would not lift the
caveat on Turkish troops in KFOR operating outside of Kosovo,
but that out-of-sector ops within Kosovo were permitted.


3. (C/NF) Comment: We have picked up some information
informally from the Turkish General Staff (TGS) that the
Turks may be considering further revision of their caveats.
We will follow up at TGS in the coming days. End comment.
DEUTSCH