PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY, TURKS SAY CYPRUS EXERCISES

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006826 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2015 TAGS: PREL MOPS TU CY SUBJECT: PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY, TURKS SAY CYPRUS EXERCISES GOING AHEAD REF: A. ANKARA 6710 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. 7 NOV 2005 SILLIMAN-BETTS EMAIL Classified By: CDA Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Following up on our efforts to turn off Turkish exercises -- named "Toros" -- in northern Cyprus, Charge reinforced ref b points to MFA Undersecretary Ali Tuygan on Nov. 16, urging he raise the matter with TGS. Tuygan acknowledged our points and agreed to raise the issue with the military. Charge also met with Deputy CHOD GEN Isik Kosaner on Nov. 18 to urge Turkey not to proceed with these exercises. Kosaner responded that the decision to have Turkish troops already in Cyprus participate in Toros was final (i.e., no troops based in Turkey will take part). ¶2. (C) Public comments by Turkish officials also indicate that the exercises are going ahead. On Nov. 15, Land Forces Commander GEN Yasar Buyukanit told the press that Toros would go ahead in northern Cyprus, and that Turkish troops already on the island would participate. (COMMENT: Buukanit, who will become the CHOD this summer, likely went public in order to thwart any efforts within the GOT to turn off the exercises. END COMMENT.) On Nov. 16, MFA Spokesman Namik Tan confirmed that planning for Toros was ongoing, but added that the question of whether Turkish troops (as opposed to only "TRNC" forces) would participate should be referred to the military. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: The Turkish decision to go ahead with the exercise is a hollow victory of the Cyprus hardliners over the moderates; once again, they simply could not resist taking the bait. Very few in the EU and elsewhere will pay much attention to the Turks' assertion that the ROC's military outnumbers the "TRNC's" by 10:1. All they will focus on is that the Turks exercised on Cyprus even though the Greeks did not, and that Turkish troops are an "illegal occupation" force on the island. END COMMENT. MCELDOWNEY