IRAQ: TURKS PLEASED WITH KORUTURK'S WASHINGTON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004187 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2015 TAGS: PREL PTER ETRD IZ TU SY US SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKS PLEASED WITH KORUTURK'S WASHINGTON CONSULTATIONS, URGE "PERSISTENCE" WITH SYRIA REF: A. STATE 129619 (NOTAL) ¶B. ANKARA 3844 ¶C. STATE 133156 (NOTAL) Classified By: Counselor for Political-Military Affairs Timothy A. Bett s for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On July 13, PolMilCouns and PolMilOff called on MFA Deputy Director General Safak Gokturk to get the Turkish assessment of the July 5-6 Washington visit of the GOT's Special Envoy for Iraq, Amb. Osman Koruturk (Gokturk accompanied Koruturk). Gokturk characterized the meetings as positive and commented that Turkish-U.S. cooperation has now moved beyond mutual statements of principles to a new, "operational" stage. He believed that the two sides will work more closely together in Iraq, especially on Sunni outreach (according to Koruturk himself, the key to the process--ref b). The Turks perceived greater interest from the USG on Sunni outreach; Gokturk pointed to the Secretary's May 15 visit to Iraq as the first major manifestation of this. He urged our embassies in Baghdad to cooperate closely in this effort. ¶2. (C) Gokturk noted Koruturk's discussion with NEA A/S Welch (ref c),in which Koruturk related Turkey's experience with Syria in 1998. According to Gokturk, Koruturk advised us to create a step-by-step mechanism to ensure Syrian cooperation, and to be "persistent and persevere" with the SARG. PolMilCouns responded that Turkey was only able to create such a mechanism after massing troops and tanks on the Syrian border, forcing Syria to change its actions (i.e., expel PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan); currently, international pressure has not yet produced a similar change in Syrian actions. The Syrians well know what steps they need to take to decrease the pressure on them: Cease support for Iraqi former regime elements, cease interference and support for terrorism in Lebanon and the PA. ¶3. (U) Iraq REOs minimize considered. MCELDOWNEY