Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ABUDHABI1742
2006-04-30 14:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: "AL BAYAN" EXCLUSIVE WITH

Tags:  OIIP KMDR TC 
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UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001742 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA;
INR/B; RRU-NEA IIP/G/NEA-SA
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD
LONDON FOR MCKUNE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: "AL BAYAN" EXCLUSIVE WITH
TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001742

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA;
INR/B; RRU-NEA IIP/G/NEA-SA
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD
LONDON FOR MCKUNE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: "AL BAYAN" EXCLUSIVE WITH
TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER


1. Summary: Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul claims
that Ankara refused an American nuclear reactor in exchange
for providing facilitative assistance to the U.S. in its
confrontation with Iran. Gul noted that a military option
to end the impasse is very unlikely simply because Iran
possesses many important abilities and the consequences of
any military adventure is unlikely. End summary


2. Dubai-based Arabic daily "Al-Bayan" (circulation 90,000)
in a 4/30 front-paged, carried an exclusive interview with
Turkish Foreign minister Abdullah Gul by the newspaper's
correspondent in Ankara, Muhammad Al-Shami. The headline
reads: "Gul tells Al-Bayan: `We refused an (American)
nuclear reactor in exchange for facilitative assistance to
strike Tehran."


3. During the interview Gul was cited as telling "Al-Bayan"
that "Ankara rejected allowing American troops to use the
Turkish base of Angerlic to direct strikes against Iran
despite the attraction of a nuclear reactor, however, he
sounded skeptical that the U.S. would go ahead in a military
option because Iran possesses many strategic cards in
addition to the approaching American elections, which he
predicted would lead to the loss of the ruling Republican
Party."


4. Gul added that "American efforts to contain and strike
Iran are mere illusions", noting that the Turkish position
rejecting the use of its territories or its participation in
any military operation against neighboring nations is
strategic. Regarding the tense relations between Washington
and Ankara, Gul said: "these relations have not been stabile
since the ruling Justice and Development Party came to
power." He added that "the tension is multifaceted and has
many causes, namely the differences in positions between the
U.S. and Turkey on the presence of the Kurdistan Labor Party
guerillas in Northern Iraq, the American position in support
of an independent Kurdish state, Turkey's support of the
Palestinian issue, and the recent position with regard to
Hamas' arrival to power."


5. On whether the recent Iranian nuclear issue added more
tension to relations, Gul noted: `Yes, because we continue
to reject participating in such a strike despite all
American and Israeli attractions and we will never use our
territories and especially the Angerlic base to launch any
attack against Iran... I must say here that the occupation
of Iraq was carried out without our participation, however
American-Israeli pressure aims to unite Turkey and Israel
together in the dispute with Iran. In other words, the U.S.
Administration wants us to pursue a clear foreign policy as
a satellite to the Western camp." He added that "Turkey
will never do this despite all attractions, including the
establishment of a Turkish nuclear reactor to counter
Iran...


6. On the U.S. confrontation with Iran he said: "any
military strike against Iran is an unlikely adventure. I
expect the current escalation to stop at a certain stage,
but not the stage of war, especially due to the lack of any
evidence that Iran is producing nuclear weapons."

SISON