TURKISH MFA ON IRAQ: NEIGHBORS MEETING, SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001960 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV TU IZ SUBJECT: TURKISH MFA ON IRAQ: NEIGHBORS MEETING, SUPPORT FOR ITG, PKK DEMARCHE REF: A. BAGHDAD 1435 ¶B. FBIS GMP 20050405000015 Classified By: Counselor for Political-Military Affairs Timothy A. Bett s for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) MFA Department Head for Iraq Avni Botsali briefed PolMilOff April 5 on plans for the next Iraq neighbors meeting, which will take place in Istanbul April 18-19. Participants will be Iraq, its neighbors, and Egypt. Senior officials will convene on the 18th, foreign ministers on the 19th. Whether there is an ITG in place or not, Turkey plans of course to invite the Iraqi foreign minister, but in any case does not plan to invite the prime minister to that meeting. Botsali said as soon as the ITG is formed, PM Erdogan will invite his counterpart to Ankara. ¶2. (SBU) Botsali said Turkey is pleased with the appointment of Hachim al-Hassani as Speaker of the TNA, and the GOT hopes this development means that ITG formation is soon to follow. Botsali reported that Turkey's Ambassador to Baghdad, Unal Cevikoz, has already paid a courtesy call on al-Hassani, and that the Turkish Speaker of Parliament, Bulent Arinc, has already sent a formal message of congratulations to the Iraqi Speaker. ¶3. (C) Finally, Botsali reported that Amb. Cevikoz called on IIG FonMin Zebari April 5 to demarche the Iraqis on PKK meetings planned for early April in northern Iraq (see ref a),but he did not yet have a readout. (Comment: An April 5 Mesopotamian News Agency story claims one of the two meetings referred to by the Turks concluded April 4--see ref b. End comment.) ¶4. (U) Iraq posts minimize considered. EDELMAN