TURKEY: POSITIVE RESPONSE TO U.S. STATEMENT ON

UNCLAS ANKARA 003172 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR NEA/IR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV IR TU US SUBJECT: TURKEY: POSITIVE RESPONSE TO U.S. STATEMENT ON IRAN REF: SECSTATE 87682 ¶1. (SBU) Following the Secretary's May 31 telephone conversation with Turkish FM Gul, we contacted DFM Tuygan, Undersecretary Uzumcu, PM spokesman Akif Beki, MFA spokesman Namik Tan and MFA Americas Deputy Director General Murat Esenli. Their responses were uniformly positive and supportive. Several noted that this was just the thing Turkey had been hoping the U.S. would do. ¶2. (SBU) FM Gul spoke about the initiative publicly at a joint press conference May 31 with Russian FM Lavrov. Asked for his views about the initiative, Gul said: --There are many reasons for us to be optimistic today. --Compared with yesterday, we are more optimistic. --There is a new opportunity to resolve this problem through diplomatic means. --We hope that this opportunity will not be missed. ¶3. (SBU) We pressed the Turks for a more extensive written statement of support and an explicit call on the Iranians to accept the U.S. offer. We are continuing to talk to others at MFA and in government and will report further statements as soon as they are released. Initial press coverage of the initiative has been uniformly positive. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON