TURKEY/SYRIA/LEBANON: TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 007376 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER LE SY TU SYRIA SUBJECT: TURKEY/SYRIA/LEBANON: TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY ON TUENI ASSASSINATION REF: STATE 223709 Classified By: POLCOUNS JANICE WEINER FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) MFA Syria Department Head Sedat Onal told us December 15 that he had not yet seen any draft UNSC resolution based on the UNIIIC's latest report, but surmised that Turkey will support a resolution that enjoins Syria to improve its cooperation with the Mehlis Commission. He acknowledged that Syrian cooperation with the UNIIIC following Mehlis' first report was incomplete and slow in coming. Turkey has not yet adopted a position on the Lebanese request to expand the jurisdiction of the UNIIIC to include the Tueni and other assassinations in Lebanon, but suggested the GOT will support an international consensus. The GOT has already advised UNIIIC that the Turkish national assigned to the commission would be available should UNIIIC's mandate be extended. ¶2. (U) The Turkish Foreign Ministry released the following statement December 13 on the assassination of Gebran Tueni. Unofficial translation follows. Begin text: We strongly condemn the loathsome assassination in Beirut on 12 December of Gebran Tueni, a member of the Lebanese parliament as well as Editor-in Chief of the An-Nahar newspaper. We express our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the attack and to the Lebanese people, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery. The fact that this attack came at a time when Lebanon, with the support of the international community, is making progress towards creating domestic peace and carrying out restructuring efforts, does not go unnoticed. Our wish is that the perpetrators of this and previous murders are caught as soon as possible and brought to justice. Turkey will continue to support Lebanon in its efforts to establish domestic peace and stability of its own free will and determine its own future. End text. WILSON