TURKEY CONCERNED THAT PKK FRONT PARTIES ARE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006809 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2014 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ SUBJECT: TURKEY CONCERNED THAT PKK FRONT PARTIES ARE RUNNING IN IRAQ ELECTIONS Classified By: DCM Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) During their Dec. 7 courtesy call, incoming MFA Director General for the Middle East Oguz Celikkol told the DCM that Turkey is concerned that two PKK/Kongra-Gel front parties have apparently registered for the Iraqi elections. According to the Turkish non-paper, the two parties are the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party and the Democratic Construction Party. DCM responded that we would report this information to Baghdad and Washington, but he also encouraged the Turks to work through their embassy in Baghdad to bring the matter to the attention of the IECI and the IIG. Celikkol responded that MFA had already passed this information to its embassy there. ¶2. (C) BEGIN TEXT OF MFA NON-PAPER: Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party: Leader F.M. Ahmet Kobi Reflection of PKK/KONGRA-GEL's efforts to legitimize itself in the political arena, Official website still contains photographs of Abdullah Ocalan All Executive Board members are former PKK terrorists Democratic Construction Party: Leader Esat Hamit Riyah Al-Abadi Connected to PKK Former leader of PCDK, Cengaver Hosyar Huseyin Ibrahim is a member of party's Executive Board. Both parties were denied participation in the National Conference in Baghdad on 15-18 August 2004 due to their links to PKK by the Iraqi Interim Government. END TEXT ¶3. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. EDELMAN