TURKISH MFA AND LOCAL PUK REP POSITIVE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001071

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV TU IZ
SUBJECT: TURKISH MFA AND LOCAL PUK REP POSITIVE ON
TALABANI-KORUTURK MEETING


Classified By: Acting Counselor for Political-Military Affiars Margaret

H. Nardi for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: The GOT, the PUK's Ankara Representative, and
the press are all putting a positive spin on the Feb. 24
meeting in Dukan between PUK leader Jalal Talabani and GOT
Special Iraq Envoy Osman Koruturk. Turkey expressed its
support for an Iraqi solution to questions such as the status
of federalism and secularism in the future Iraq. Talabani
told the Turks he is an Iraqi first and a Kurd second, that
Iraq's Kurds look to Turkey for support, and that he wants to
reach out to the Iraqi Turkmen community, including the Iraqi
Turkmen Front. Talabani and the Turks did not discuss
PKK/Kongra-Gel and only discussed Kirkuk briefly. The local
PUK Rep noted to us some KDP/PUK tensions. End summary.

Positive Meeting and Exchange of Letters
--------------


2. (C) PolMilOffs met separately Feb. 25 with Ankara PUK
representative Bahros Galali and GOT Deputy Special Envoy to
Iraq Ethem Tokdemir to get a readout on PUK leader Jalal
Talabani's Feb. 24 meting with GOT Special Envoy for Iraq
Amb. Osman Koruturk (Galali and Tokdemir accompanied Koruturk
to Dukan in northern Iraq for this meeting). Both Galali and
Tokdemir reported that the meeting was successful and
cordial; press coverage has also been positive. Galali
confirmed press reports that Talabani and Turkish PM Erdogan
had exchanged letters following the Jan. 30 Iraqi elections
(Koruturk hand-carried Erdogan's response to Talabani).
According to Galali, Talabani wrote Erdogan that Iraq's Kurds
are Iraqis first and Kurds second, and that they believe in
the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq. Talabani told
Erdogan that Turkey has nothing to fear from a federal system
in Iraq. According to Galali, Erdogan responded warmly and
wrote that "he agreed with everything Talabani had said."


3. (C) Both Galali and Tokdemir reported that Talabani warmly
received Koruturk and his delegation, and that the Turks did
not raise PKK/Kongra-Gel at all and Kirkuk only in passing.
Galali said Talabani told the Turks that Iraq's Kurds want
Kirkuk to be a place where all members of Iraq's different
communities can live and work together in peace.

Some PUK-KDP Tensions?
--------------


4. (C) According to Galali, Talabani told the Turks that
there are still hard negotiations underway over the formation
and makeup of the ITG. Galali told us that Talabani is
working hard to manage his relationship with KDP leader
Masoud Barzani, whom he accused of needlessly provoking the
Turks with pronouncements on Kirkuk and Kurdish independence.
(Note: In recent years the Turks have been getting along a
good deal better with PUK than with KDP, but this has not
always been the case. End note.) He noted that some KDP-ers
in Baghdad, such as current FonMin Zibari, have performed
well. But Vice President Rowsch Shaways, Galali said, "is a
very bad man" (NFI). He speculated that senior PUK leader
Barham Salih will remain as Deputy PM in the ITG, and Zibari
will remain on as FonMin.

Turks Find Talabani Cordial, Focused on
Kurds' Future in Iraq
--------------


5. (C) Tokdemir reported that Koruturk had emphasized to
Talabani that the modalities for how Iraq worked out both
federalism and the question of secularism were for the Iraqis
to decide. Talabani said that he has made the transition
from identifying himself as a Kurd first and an Iraqi second
to the reverse, and he was urging Iraq's Kurdish people to do
the same. According to the Turks, Talabani stated that the
Kurds look to Turkey for assistance much the same way Iraq's
Shias look to Iran and its Sunni Arabs to the Arab world. As
Iraq's only democratic neighbor, Turkey can offer a model to
Iraq. (Tokdemir reported that Turkey will provide training
for members of all of Iraq's political parties, much as it
did for some Sunni Arabs before the elections.)


6. (C) On Kirkuk, Talabani repeated what he has said on
previous visits here: Kirkuk should be a city of friendship
for all Iraqis, perhaps under a "Brussels model."
Surprisingly, Talabani told the Turks that Kirkuk is not an
urgent matter, and that determination of its final status can
wait until after the constitutional approval process is
completed.

Talabani the Protector of the Turkmen?
--------------


7. (C) Tokdemir noted (with evident skepticism) that Talabani
has presented himself to the Turks as a "protector of Iraq's
Turkmen." In his letter to Erdogan, Talabani made a point to
recognize the Turkmen presence in all of Iraq, including
Kirkuk. Talabani also told the Turks in their Feb. 24
meeting that he wants to open a dialogue with the Iraqi
Turkmen Front. (Note: Talabani has apparently offered to
meet the ITF before, but we understand this has not occurred.
We do not know which side has been the reason for this not
taking place. End note.)

8. (U) Iraq posts minimize considered.
EDELMAN