JUNE 13 GAERC DEMARCHE - TURKEY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003367 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015 TAGS: CM IR IZ LE PREL YI PARM TU EUN SUBJECT: JUNE 13 GAERC DEMARCHE - TURKEY REF: STATE 105235 Classified By: Polcounselor John Kunstadter; reasons: E.O. 12958 1.4 ( b,d). ¶1. (U) We delivered reftel demarche on June 13 to Turkish MFA EU Political Affairs Department First Secretary Ege Turemen; he provided minimal responses to the following demarche topics. -------------- Kosovo -------------- He noted that the U.S. position remains the same as that enunciated in an earlier demarche about the Balkans and Kosovo. -------------- Iran -------------- He said Turkey would support permitting Iran to have a peaceful nuclear power program. -------------- Lebanon -------------- He noted that Prime Minister Erdogan planned to visit Lebanon June 15. -------------- Iraq -------------- Turemen said that Turkey wanted U.S. assistance to fight PKK terrorism. On Iraq, he further stated that Turkey considers it a milestone for Iraq to develop a constitution; supports the political process; favors capacity building; urges Iraqis to include Sunnis in the political process; hopes Iraqis work to achieve a good Kurdish-Iraqi relationship; and urges Turkish-Iraqi border security cooperation to fight terrorism, noting the developments in Iraq will have repercussions beyond that country. -------------- China -------------- He simply noted the U.S. position on the China Arms Embargo. ¶2. (C) Comment: Turemen's weak performance reflects both the passive-aggressiveness of Turkey's policy harmonization with the EU and the unwillingness of the MFA to take forthright positions on many issues of key importance to the U.S. End comment. EDELMAN