NATO/IRAQ: TURKEY GAME PLAN ON IRAQ FOR THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000898 SIPDIS STATE FOR EU/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2015 TAGS: PREL IZ SUBJECT: NATO/IRAQ: TURKEY GAME PLAN ON IRAQ FOR THE FEBRUARY 22 NATO SUMMIT REF: USNATO 110 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Deutsch for reasons 1.4 ( b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Post agrees with USNATO perspective (reftel) that Turkey could and should contribute additional support the NATO training mission in Iraq beyond its offer to provide leadership training to Iraqi security forces at its NATO Center of Excellence in Ankara (an offer which has not elicited any Iraqi response). However, following Iraq's emphatic rejection of Turkey's October 2003 offer to contribute troops to the coalition, the Government of Turkey (GOT) has perceived its forces as unwelcome in Iraq. The two Turkish staff members currently assigned to NATO headquarters in Baghdad are Turkey's demonstration of support. However they were not directly contributed by the GOT, but rather, the GOT accepted their detailing by the NATO command to which they were assigned to help administer the NATO mission in Baghdad. ¶2. (C) In post's view, Turkey would need to be convinced that Iraq would welcome its troops before it would offer any additional direct support to the NATO mission in Iraq. We understand that the Iraqis privately told US officials that Iraq would not have concerns with a Turkish contribution to the NATO mission there. In soliciting a contribution of Turkish personnel to fill remaining NATO staffing gaps in Baghdad, post believes our chances of success would increase if the Iraqis were to weigh in authoritatively with the Turks and tell them directly that Turkish contributions to the NATO mission in Iraq would be most welcome. ¶3. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. EDELMAN