TURKS PROPOSE AUG. 2 FOR TRILATERAL PKK TALKS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004059 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2015 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ PKK SUBJECT: TURKS PROPOSE AUG. 2 FOR TRILATERAL PKK TALKS, REQUEST FURTHER INFO ON DELEGATIONS AND AGENDA Classified By: A/DCM James R. Moore for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request--please see para. five. ¶2. (C) MFA Director General for Security Affairs Hayati Guven convoked PolMilCouns and PolMilOff July 12 to discuss PKK trilateral talks. Guven proposed Aug. 2 as a target date for the talks, and explained that given the Turkish summer holiday schedule it would be difficult for the GOT to participate beyond that date unless the talks were held in September, which Turkey definitely does not want. (COMMENT: Neither do we. END COMMENT.) PolMilCouns responded that we would pass on this proposal to both Washington and Baghdad, and that the compilation of the Iraqi delegation would likely drive the timing of the meeting. He suggested Guven have the Turkish embassy in Baghdad discuss the matter with our embassy there and with the ITG. Guven agreed to do so. ¶3. (C) Guven noted that he or another MFA DG would likely lead the Turkish delegation rather than GOT Special Envoy Koruturk; PolMilCouns agreed that Koruturk was too senior for HOD. Guven asked approximately how large the U.S. delegation was likely to be. We responded that it would likely include representatives from State, Justice, FBI, and DoD. Guven requested that we provide a non-paper of which entities were likely to be represented from the U.S. side. We said we would pass the request to Washington, and also check if Embassy Baghdad had such a list in mind for the Iraqis. ¶4. (C) Guven noted that the GOT would have a relatively short lead time between the July 18-20 meeting of the Iraq neighbors' interior ministers in Istanbul and the PKK talks. This is why the Turks were focusing on Aug. 2--to allow themselves about two weeks' lead time. Guven asked if we had a notional agenda for the talks in mind beyond the law enforcement/extradition theme for this round; we responded that we will ask Washington and Baghdad. Finally, Guven noted that the issue of whether we could provide Turkish language interpretation would affect the composition of the Turkish delegation. He said that Turkey could be prepared to send an English-speaking delegation if necessary, but worried that differing language abilities might skew what other GOT agencies would take away from the meeting. ¶5. (C) Action request: Embassy requests that Washington (and Baghdad as noted) provide the following: --Confirm Aug. 2 is an acceptable date. (COMMENT: We recommend doing so. END COMMENT.) --Notional list of USG agencies to be represented at the talks, with approximate numbers if available. If Embassy Baghdad can provide a similar list for the Iraqis, so much the better. --Notional agenda --Information on whether we will be able to provide Turkish language interpretation. ¶6. (U) Iraq REOs minimize considered. MCELDOWNEY