IRAQ: TURKEY WILL SUPPORT ITG, SENDS POSITIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001015

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER TU IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKEY WILL SUPPORT ITG, SENDS POSITIVE
SIGNALS ON JA'AFARI

REF: STATE 30179

Classified By: Political Military Counselor Timothy A. Betts. Reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) PolMilOffs called on MFA Head of Iraq Department Avni
Botsali on Feb. 23 to deliver reftel demarche. In response,
Botsali read from (and handed us) cleared press guidance that
he had drafted for MFA spokesman Namik Tan on Feb. 17. The
guidance notes the UNSC president's statement of Feb. 16 as
well as UNSYG Annan's Feb. 14 statement concerning the
announcement of the election results. It pledges Turkey's
continued support for "a fair and democratic regime" in Iraq.
The guidance further states that Turkey will continue its
constructive dialogue with the ITG, with all political
elements in Iraqi, and with neighboring countries and the
international community.


2. (C) Botsali emphasized to us that Turkey will work with
and support the ITG. He noted that the United Iraqi
Alliance's choice for PM, Ibrahim Ja'afari, had visited
Ankara in December and was well-known to Turkey; he added
that Turkey is ready to work with whoever will lead the ITG.
When PolMilOff asked if Turkey plans to issue another
statement following the formation of the ITG, Botsali replied
that he had not been planning to draft one. (Comment: This
is not really Botsali's decision. We will work to get a
positive statement from the Turks when the ITG is formed.
End comment.)


3. (U) While MFA Spokesman Tan appears not to have explicitly
deployed his press guidance expressing Turkish support for
the ITG, he did respond to a reporters' question on Ja'afari.
Tan said that Ja'afari knows Turkey well and met with both
PM ERDOGAN and FonMin Gul during his Dec. 1-3 visit to
Ankara. Tan described these meetings as "comprehensive and
very useful."


4. (U) Iraq posts minimize considered.
EDELMAN