CHARGE URGES TURKS TO PRODUCE POSITIVE STATEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000500

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2010
TAGS: PREL PGOV TU IZ
SUBJECT: CHARGE URGES TURKS TO PRODUCE POSITIVE STATEMENT
FOLLOWING JAN. 30 ELECTIONS IN IRAQ


Classified By: CDA Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) MFA Director General for the Middle East Oguz Celikkol
called in Charge Jan. 28 to discuss the upcoming elections in
Iraq. Celikkol provided us with MFA's Jan. 28 statement on
the elections (see para. 3). Celikkol covered familiar
Turkish ground: the election process in Kirkuk as well as its
hope that even if Sunnis do not/cannot participate in large
numbers in the election itself, the winners in the election
will reach out to them in the process of forming the ITG and
drafting the constitution.


2. (C) Celikkol said that the GOT will likely reach a
decision on Jan. 31 regarding the tone and content of a
post-election statement. Charge urged that the GOT seek to
release as positive a statement as possible based on the
events of Jan. 30. Just as we are working to bring the
different ethnic and religious communities together in Iraq
as it moves forward, the international community must also
pull together to support the Iraqis. Celikkol took the
point, emphasizing the Turkish view (also made in the GOT
statement below) that after the election the different groups
in Iraq should put aside their own agendas and work together
as Iraqis. Charge agreed.


3. (U) MFA STATEMENT ON THE IRAQI ELECTIONS (INFORMAL EMBASSY
TRANSLATION):

BEGIN TEXT

Turkish Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Information Department
NO- 13
Jan. 28, 2005

Press Release

It has already been almost 2 years that the previous regime
in Iraq changed--a turning point for the history of Iraq and
the Middle East.

Iraq will enter an important phase to form its future after
January 30th elections. The Transitional Parliament and
Government to be formed after the elections will undertake
responsibility of carrying out a constitutional process,
which will identify the future of Iraq.

January 30th elections, which can pave way for a political
transition, is an opportunity to set Iraq's national unity
and territorial integrity on a secure ground, to establish
permanent peace and stability in the region, to provide the
Iraqi nation with a peaceful and healthy society and with a
democratic and representative government.

We are aware that the elections are to take place under very
difficult conditions with serious problems for participation
of some groups - inseparable parts of the nation - in the
elections. These problems are to be solved in a fair and
realistic manner with a view to social peace and stability in
Iraq. Issues such as how much the people could participate in
the elections and whether the nation's democratic decisions
have been reflected in the election results in a fair and
balanced manner, can only be assessed after the election
results are announced.

Turkey has provided support to this political process based
on preservation of Iraq's national unity and integrity in
Iraq's Neighbor Countries Meetings, in multilateral platforms
like UN, EU, NATO, OSCE, and Organization of Islamic
Conferences, and in bilateral contacts and meetings. With the
same understanding and within the framework of agreement
between the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq and IOM,
arrangements have been made to allow Iraqi citizens to vote
in Turkey.

It has been observed that some time after the January 30th
elections, issues like public order and security and how the
most comprehensive representation of all groups of the Iraqi
nation in participating in the political and drafting process
of the constitution shall be looked into on a priority basis.

At this stage, it is important that international society be
sensitive to the rights and expectations of the Iraqi nation,
and that the Iraqi nation act with responsibility in meeting
the expectations of the international community for peace,
security and stability, especially of the neighboring
countries. We call on all groups of the brother Iraqi nation
to use their right to vote, which is among very first
citizenship rights and principal conditions of legitimacy, to
positively evaluate this opportunity which can be the basis
for a new national reconciliation in Iraq, and to promote the
country's interests over the interests of small groups at
this vital stage for the future of their society and their
country by acting on the principles of citizenship and
national understanding.

In the same way, we call on the Interim Iraqi Government, all
political leaders of the Iraqi nation, the coalition forces
in Iraq, the United Nations and the international community
in general to act with sensitivity and to take effective
measures to solve deficiencies and problems originating from
current conditions before they become a danger to the
political process and have a negative impact on internal
peace in Iraq.

END TEXT


4. (U) Baghdad and REOs minimize considered.
DEUTSCH