TURKS SAY NEIGHBORS MEETING POSTPONED AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002196 SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2025 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER TU IZ SUBJECT: TURKS SAY NEIGHBORS MEETING POSTPONED AT JA'AFARI'S REQUEST REF: BAGHDAD 1592 (NOTAL) Classified By: Ambassador Eric S. Edelman for reasions 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) We read reftel with interest, but the Turks tell us a different story on the postponement of the Istanbul Iraq Neighbors' Meeting. MFA Head of Department for Iraq Avni Botsali emailed us at 0130 local time April 17 to inform us that the "neighbors meeting is postponed since PM-designate Ja'afari said that the work on the formation of the new Transitional Government is about to be finalized and he would very much like to come and address the FMs as the head of the newly formed government." Botsali told PolMilOff later on April 17 that he understood that FonMin Zebari was unhappy with Ja'afari's decision to request a postponement. ¶2. (C) We followed up with Botsali April 18. He reported that Ja'afari had called FonMin Gul to request that the meting be postponed "by about a week" to allow for the formation of the ITG, and that Gul had reluctantly agreed. Botsali reported that the next meeting was tentatively rescheduled for April 27-28, but added that given the events of this weekend the ITG would have to be officially in place; if not, holding such a meeting would "seem strange." ¶3. (C) MFA Director General for the Middle East Oguz Celikkol had briefly discussed Ja'afari's possible participation with the DCM on April 12. He reported Ja'afari's possible attendance and remarked that Turkey would essentially consider it a bonus since the meeting was at the foreign minister level. When PolMilOff checked in with Department Head Botsali over the course of last week on this issue, Botsali took much the same line, though it appeared that the Turks were pleased that the Ja'afari visit had apparently become a real possibility. However, at no time did we detect that the Turks had determined that Ja'afari's participation was a necessity for the neighbors meeting to occur. ¶4. (U) Iraq posts minimize considered. EDELMAN