TURKS TO U/S HUGHES: DEEPER DIALOGUE WELCOME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005695

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO KWMN SCUL TU
SUBJECT: TURKS TO U/S HUGHES: DEEPER DIALOGUE WELCOME


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b,d)
.

Summary
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1. (C) U/S Hughes met September 28 with Turkish FonMin Gul
and MFA U/S Tuygan. Gul stressed Turkey's desire for
stability on its borders, its concerns over developments in
Iraq, and the need to maintain dialogue with Syria and Iran
in order to change their behavior. On the PKK and terrorism,
Gul said we needed concrete steps on the ground that would be
crucial in restoring Turkish public support for the U.S. Gul
noted Turkish frustration with the EU over Cyprus and asked
for U.S. help in ending the isolation of Northern Cyprus. In
a separate meeting, U/S Tuygan emphasized the Turkish
public's broad sense of "humiliation" over the EU accession
process. He called for a "deepened and structured dialogue,"
emphasized our common goals in the region, and hoped the U.S.
would share with Turkey its long-term game plan for Iraq.
U/S Hughes noted her trip to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey
was her first official visit in her new capacity and hoped
that her presence, and the visit of APNSA Hadley a few days
before, would be seen as a sign of strong U.S. support for
Turkey in this difficult time. Her approach to public
diplomacy will emphasize "policies and people." She
undertook to see where U.S. - Turkey exchange programs could
be further expanded. She expressed appreciation for the
frustrations being experienced by the Turkish people and
undertook to convey these to the highest levels of the USG.
The "strategic dialogue" would indeed be a genuine one, she
promised. End Summary


FM Gul -- Small US Gesture Can Change Popular Attitudes
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2. (C) U/S Hughes, accompanied by D/US Powell, EUR AS Bryza
and the Charge, had separate meetings September 28 with
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and MFA U/S Ali Tuygan.
Gul assured Hughes the GOT considers relations with the U.S.
the "main pillar" of its foreign policy; the relationship is
based on shared values of democracy, free markets and freedom
of expression. Turkey is surrounded, he continued, by
various non-democratic regimes which do not enjoy the support
of their people. Turkey maintains trade and other relations
with those states, not because it approves of them, but to
ensure stability on Turkey's borders. Addressing each state
in turn, Gul began with Iraq. The situation in Iraq is of
direct concern and there are growing popular fears of the
effect of a divided Iraq on Turkey. Moving on to Iran, Gul
noted that the Turkey-Iran border had been stable since 1639;
the GOT does not want instability there. With Syria, the
Turks have had bad experiences with Syrian support to PKK
leader Ocalan as well as Syrian territorial claims. Turkey
has no sympathy for the Baathist regime in Syria, but at the
same time does not want instability there. U.S. policies
that appear to threaten stability on Turkey's borders have
created negative attitudes among the Turkish populace.


3. (C) Hughes replied that the U.S. and international
community, as well as Syria's neighbors, need to be tough on
Syria and Iran to get them to change their behaviors. Gul
reiterated that the GOT has no sympathy for the regimes there
but at the same time cannot afford chaos on its borders.
Turkey is trying to influence those states; 800,000 Iranian
tourists, and many Syrians, have visited Antalya and
experienced freedom in Turkey. This is the best way to
"threaten" those regimes. Gul elaborated that Turkey is
using its contacts to show Damascus the "right way." Turkish
and U.S. goals are the same, he said. He assured Hughes the
GOT has warned the Syrians in blunt terms about their
behavior and has no intention of letting Syria "relax."


4. (C) Gul emphasized that the "ground is ready" in Turkey
and even a small gesture or modest action by the U.S. to
reassure Turkey of its support could change popular attitudes
for the better "in an instant." Expanding, Gul said the PKK
threat in the southeast is getting dangerous again, and
northern Iraq is a safe haven for Kurdish extremists. Common
people are asking "why can't the U.S., the world's only
superpower, stop this?" According to Turkish intelligence,
the PKK feels "relaxed" and is able to move freely in
northern Iraq. The PKK garners support from Kurdish leaders
there; those same Kurdish leaders will be the PKK's next
targets Gul opined, referring specifically to the "Barzani
tribe." Gul stressed the PKK must realize that there will be
a cost to its terrorist activities and a U.S. warning to that
effect would be useful. Gul encouraged the following
actions: arresting PKK leaders in northern Iraq, cutting off
logistics support, closing front organizations and shutting
down refugee camps, like Makhmour, dominated by the PKK. DAS
Bryza noted these must be done by the Iraqis themselves, with
U.S. backing.


5. (C) Turning to Cyprus, Gul said the Turks and Turkish
Cypriots feel cheated by the EU. The Turkish side
compromised and got little for it. Gul recalled how
President Bush asked Turkey to "show leadership" and to
compromise on the Cyprus issue. "We did so, and the other
side was rewarded," he complained. The U.S. can help the
Greek Cypriot side understand that the support of its EU
fellows is not always enough, while the U.S. can also help
the Turkish side end its isolation. Direct flights from
northern Cyprus would be key to this process, Gul stressed,
and would encourage the Greek Cypriots to compromise.


6. (C) On the positive side of the ledger, Gul reviewed
Turkey's contribution to ISAF in Afghanistan over the past
two years. Overall transatlantic relations remain good, Gul
said, and noted jokingly that his speeches at NATO sound just
like the Secretary's. These relations enjoy the support of
the Turkish people.


7. (C) Hughes noted that her visits to Egypt, Saudi Arabia
and Turkey were part of her first overseas trip and were
focused on listening. She expressed her appreciation for
Gul's views and particularly valued the view of the Turkish
"man in the street." Gul stressed the need for "empathy" for
Turkish popular perceptions. Speaking of the Middle East in
broad terms, Gul said there is a hunger for justice; people
in the region are frustrated and need to believe the U.S. is
committed to justice.

MFA U/S Tuygan -- Turkey's "Humiliation" Must be Alleviated
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8. (C) In a separate call on MFA U/S Ali Tuygan, Hughes
complimented Turkey's inspiring economic performance over the
past four years. Turkey's rapid rebuilding after the
devastating 1999 earthquakes were a good example to the U.S.
after hurricane Katrina. Hughes thanked the GOT on behalf of
the American people for the generous outpouring of aid, both
official and from private citizens, for Katrina's victims.
For his part, Tuygan lauded the "solid partnership" between
the U.S. and Turkey and stated the GOT's readiness to move
forward constructively. He called for a "deepened and
structured dialogue" between the U.S. and Turkey to improve
each's understanding of the other. The response to Katrina
was a "genuine" response from the Turkish people, he said,
coming from a country that finds itself at the meeting point
of diverse civilizations and cultures.


9. (C) Hughes noted that, during his recent visit, APNSA
Hadley had reinforced our desire to work with the GOT more
closely on fighting PKK terrorism. Tuygan observed that a
deeper and structured dialogue on the PKK and other issues is
necessary, especially with growing disappointment and
uneasiness in Turkey as the October 3 date for EU accession
negotiations approaches. "There is much uncertainty in the
air." On Iraq, Tuygan stressed the need to leave the past
behind and focus on the future. However, he noted, prospects
are uncertain and this is creating difficulties for Turkey.
Turkey is trying to work with all parties in Iraq towards the
same goal as the U.S. -- a unified, democratic, and federal
Iraq -- but the realities on the ground are not reassuring.
Turkey needs to understand the U.S. view of the "end game" in
Iraq. The possibility that Iraq might be dismembered is
critical for Turkey.


10. (C) Turning to the EU, Tuygan expressed appreciation for
U.S. support for Turkey's accession but strongly emphasized
Turkey's disappointment with the way the EU is handling the
pre-October 3 process. The Turkish public is becoming
pessimistic as the EU is seen imposing more conditions on
Turkey. "We try to reassure the public, but this is not
sustainable." Tuygan said Turkey was feeling "humiliation,"
a particularly bitter feeling here. The U.S. asks for
Turkey's support but Ankara does not feel it is being clued
in to ultimate U.S. plan for Iraq, the "end game." "Let's get
October 3 behind us; it won't be much of a celebration in any
case," Tuygan stated. Then Turkey will focus on deepening
and broadening the U.S. - Turkey dialogue.


11. (C) U/S Hughes responded she hoped her visit and that of
APNSA Hadley had signaled strong U.S. support for Turkey at
this difficult time. She described her view of public
diplomacy as about policies and their effects on people, not
"spin." She will participate in policymaking and promised
our dialogue with Turkey would be "real" and in a spirit of
true partnership. Tuygan appreciated this commitment and,
referring to the PKK and terrorism, said Turkey had not
forgotten past U.S. support in the fight against terror.
Whatever the U.S. can do in this regard, he said, will be
greatly appreciated by the Turkish public.


12. (C) Elaborating on U.S. - Turkey exchange programs, U/S
Hughes and DU/S Powell stressed the importance of
people-to-people contacts and their intention to expand these
for Turkey. Turkey is currently the number one recipient of
Fulbright grants. The U.S. would also like to expand the
International Visitors Program (IVP) between Turkey and the
U.S. and ensure that it includes journalists, religious
leaders, and entrepreneurs to allow the greatest reach into
the private sector. Hughes said the U.S. has made much
progress alleviating the post 9/11 difficulties that many
exchange visitors experienced getting to the U.S. Noting
that he was a high school exchange student in the U.S.,
Tuygan stressed the importance of including business leaders
in exchanges. He noted proudly that Turkey is in eighth
place on U.S. campuses with 11,000 university and nearly
10,000 secondary and high school exchange students in the
U.S. Charge McEldowney and Hughes stressed the need for
Turkish journalists to better understand the U.S. as well.
Tuygan agreed, noting at the same time that the non-Turkish
press has a huge impact in Turkey. He referred to recent
U.S. articles that, he claimed, distorted Turkish reality.
Hughes noted the broad assortment of print and TV journalists
that were accompanying her on her trips.


13. (C) Returning to the "humiliation" point he had made
earlier, Tuygan described it as an overall sense in the
country, not based on any single issue. Tuygan stressed that
"nationalism" is not on the rise, but "frustration" is. No
violent outburst is expected, but it must be watched. DAS
Bryza expressed his appreciation for Tuygan's candor and
choice of words, and re-stated APNSA Hadley's commitment to
the strategic dialogue, finding a common frame of reference,
and proceeding together in a transparent fashion.
MCELDOWNEY