PKK IN EUROPE: DRAFT LONDON/OSLO DEMARCHES

S E C R E T ANKARA 002452 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER TU UK NO SUBJECT: PKK IN EUROPE: DRAFT LONDON/OSLO DEMARCHES REF: STATE 67618 Classified By: ECONOMIC COUNSELOR TOM GOLDBERGER. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (S) Summary. In a May 3 meeting, Turkish MFA Director General for Intelligence and Research Hayati Guven welcomed the proposed demarches to Norway and the United Kingdom urging cooperative action against PKK activities (reftel), and made suggestions to strengthen the message to Norway given his understanding that Norway may be considering "recognizing the PKK." Guven was pleased by the initial results of joint U.S. and Turkish efforts in Paris and Berlin and suggested that it could be useful to extend this effort to Belgium. Guven hoped that the United States would attend a June 1-2 Interpol workshop on PKK finances in Prague. End Summary. -------------- Norway and UK -------------- ¶2. (S) Guven welcomed the U.S. initiative to raise the PKK with Norway and the UK and appreciated the follow-through on his April meetings in Washington. Guven thought the message to the UK was appropriate, but suggested fine-tuning the text for Norway to reflect the MFA's understanding that Norway may be considering a change in policy vis a vis the PKK that would entail official acceptance of the organization as a political entity. ¶3. (S) To counter such a policy change, Guven recommended that the message to Norway convey the U.S. and Turkish belief that the PKK is a terrorist group like al-Qaida and needs to be treated as such. In addition, the PKK's role in organized crime and drug trafficking should be highlighted. He thought the message should emphasize that the United States and European Union consider the PKK to be active in Norway and other countries and that Norway should cooperate to fight it. ¶4. (S) Guven asked that Embassy London coordinate with the Turkish embassy before delivering the demarche, and said he would so inform the Turkish embassy. He would appreciate similar coordination in Oslo once a text has been settled. -------------- France and Germany -------------- ¶5. (S) Guven said he understood that the Turkish and U.S. Embassies in Paris had met the French financial intelligence unit (TRACFIN) to discuss intelligence on financial flows to the PKK. He did not yet have a full report from Paris given the Turkish embassy's current preoccupation with French legislation that would make it a crime to deny that there had been a genocide against Armenians in 1915. He confirmed that the Turkish embassy was the correct destination for such information and asked that we encourage the French government to share any information it might have, including on Riza Altun, with the Embassy in Paris as this was the best way for the MFA to ensure coordination and follow-through in Ankara. ¶6. (S) Turkey, Guven said, was very pleased with recent German actions against PKK operatives and activities in Germany. He noted that there was very close cooperation between German and Turkish law enforcement and intelligence agencies. He thought it could be helpful to deepen sharing on the PKK, particularly on ways to target and operationalize new information needed to arrest PKK figures. He is planning to invite the senior German MFA official responsible for international security issues to Ankara in September, and thought initiating such a dialogue beforehand would be a good way to prepare for this visit. -------------- Belgium -------------- ¶7. (S) Guven also recommended extending the initiative with Germany and France to other countries. Belgium would be a particularly suitable target given that it harbors senior PKK leadership in Europe. Guven was aware of the early April arrest of PKK leader Remzi Kartal in Switzerland and subsequent release based on his Belgian travel documents. Although he did not have the details of the incident, he thought that this underlined the need to change Belgium's attitudes. -------------- Interpol Meeting in June -------------- ¶8. (C) Guven passed a copy of an invitation from Interpol for "Operational Working Group Meeting on the PKK and their Terrorism Financing Activities" for June 1-2 in Prague. He was very pleased that this meeting would be held and said that representatives of Turkey's National Police, intelligence service and foreign ministry would attend and make a strong presentation. He hoped that the United States would be also able to send a strong group to the meeting that would be supportive of Turkey. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON