NORTHERN IRAQ: CALLING IN TURKS' PROMISE TO END PMF

S E C R E T ANKARA 000676

SIPDIS


NOFORN


DEPT. FOR EUR/SE AND NEA/NGA


E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2013
TAGS: PTER PREL MOPS MARR PINR TU IZ
SUBJECT: NORTHERN IRAQ: CALLING IN TURKS' PROMISE TO END PMF


REF: A. ANKARA 519

B. 03 ANKARA 7526

C. 03 ANKARA 6804


(U) Classified by Ambassador Eric Edelman. Reasons 1.5 b and
d. Recommendation at para 2.



1. (S/NF) As Ref A and the January 27 Turkish press and
official reactions to Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) "PM"
Nechirvan Barzani's reported statement demonstrate, the
Turkish-led Peace Monitoring Force (PMF) in northern Iraq
continues to be an irritant that has outlived its usefulness.
Iraqi Kurdish leaders and, we understand, US forces, would
like to see it disbanded as soon as possible. The PMF, whose
sole purpose was to monitor the 1997 cease-fire between the
KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, is now monitoring
nothing, but remaining garrisoned in northern Iraq as a
foreign-led force of armed Iraqi Turkmen and Assyrians
outside the CJTF-7 chain-of-command and that of the Iraqi
security structures. As noted Ref C, according to reporting
in other channels, TGS officials in mid-2003 asked the KDP
not to press for an end to the PMF, promising that Turkey
would unilaterally disband the force by the end of 2003.
During VCJCS General Pace's early December visit here, TGS
declared the PMF a success story and proposed that it be
incorporated into the new Iraqi security structures possibly
to train new recruits (Ref B). As we enter the second month
of 2004, it is time to put this potential irritant away and
ask the Turks to bring the PMF to an end, per their promise.



2. (S/NF) RECOMMENDATION: As previewed in Refs B and C, we
recommend that the Department instruct a bilateral approach
to the Turks at a senior level making clear that the USG, the
CPA, CJTF-7 and the Iraqi Governing Council want the PMF
disbanded, as its mission is complete. We should make this
approach quietly and allow the Turks to claim that they are
unilaterally disbanding the force after its successful
completion of its mission. We should assure the Turks that
no Iraqi party has been informed of the demarche and that it
is not being carried out at the request of any Iraqi party,
but because the end of the PMF is in the interest of the US
and Iraq. If we are not explicit about this point, the Turks
will assume that we are requesting this at the behest of the
Iraqi Kurds, and will both be less likely to comply and
irritated that yet again, the USG will appear to be siding
with the Iraqi Kurds over Turkey. As recommended Ref B, we
could suggest that the individual Iraqi PMF members be
encouraged to enlist in the new Iraqi security structures,
and assure the Turks that the coalition would publicly
welcome the application of PMF members for positions in those
structures.



3. (U) Baghdad Minimize Considered.
EDELMAN