LETTER FROM KRG PM BARZANI TO AMBASSADOR EDELMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000397 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL TU IZ SUBJECT: LETTER FROM KRG PM BARZANI TO AMBASSADOR EDELMAN REF: A. BAGHDAD 297 ¶B. AMB. EDELMAN-PETER THOMPSON EMAIL 1/24/05 (NOTAL) Classified By: Ambassador Eric S. Edelman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Embassy Ankara concurs with Embassy Baghdad's advice (ref a) that Ambassador Edelman should not respond to KRG PM Nechirvan Barzani's letter. Ambassador said as much in ref b. We do, however, recommend that Embassy Baghdad or REO Kirkuk assure Barzani and other contacts that Ambassador Edelman never told the Turkish press anything other than that the rights of all those who were adversely affected by efforts to change the demography in Saddam's time should be addressed by a transparent, law-based restitution process as called for under Article 58 of the TAL. Indeed, as early as last spring Embassy Ankara called for accelerating the process of establishing the Iraqi Property Claims Commission. ¶2. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. EDELMAN