IRAQ/TURKEY: GOT INFORMALLY REQUESTS ASSISTANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003880 SIPDIS SIPDIS BAGHDAD PLEASE PASS PRT MOSUL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2021 TAGS: PREL MOPS TU IZ SUBJECT: IRAQ/TURKEY: GOT INFORMALLY REQUESTS ASSISTANCE FOR MOSUL CONSULATE REF: A. ANKARA 3692 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. BAGHDAD 558 Classified By: Acting Pol-Mil Counselor Maggie Nardi for reasons 1.4 (b ) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request -- please see para. 4. ¶2. (C/REL USA, GBR, CAN, AUS) Turkish Consul General for Mosul Avni Botsali told us June 27 that GOT authorities are concerned that, despite the Ninewah Governor's best efforts, Turkish officials staying on the Governor's compound to carry out limited duties and supervise renovations of the consulate may not be sufficiently safe. (In ref a Botsali reported watching the security detail assigned to him by the Governor abandon the Turkish delegation to hunt for terrorists who had murdered the Governor's brother.) Botsali asked that we informally inquire, "as a contingency," whether the small Turkish team supervising construction could stay in a barracks at FOB Marez or Diamondback, next to the area where Turkish contractors working for MNF-I are located. He emphasized that Turkey was not/not requesting security or escort arrangements. ¶3. (C/REL USA, GBR, CAN, AUS) We have encouraged the GOT to assist in building the new Iraq, including opening the consulate in Mosul. According to Botsali and other GOT officials, the consulate there will not only perform vital consular services (passports for Turks in Iraq, visas for Iraqis coming here),but also serve as a political symbol that Turkey is engaging in Iraq and supporting the GOI. Undoubtedly Turkey will also use the consulate to watch events in the north, its traditional area of interest. MFA officials have repeatedly assured us that the consulate will engage all segments of Iraqi society, including continuing its efforts to keep Iraq's Sunni Arabs engaged in the political process. While it is inevitable that the consulate will reach out to Iraq's Turkmen population, we also believe the GOT will engage with the Kurds, who have a significant presence in the Mosul area. The Mosul consulate could be an opportunity to encourage Turkish rapprochement with the Iraqi Kurds. The GOT also wants to use the Consulate to encourage Turkish investment in the area. ¶4. (C/REL USA, GBR, CAN, AUS) ACTION REQUEST: We cannot judge from Ankara the competing priorities facing MNF-I and PRT Mosul, and we appreciate Embassy Baghdad's position that Turkey must provide its own security. We ask that this latest request (see also ref a) be considered in light of the positive benefits the Turkish consulate in Mosul could provide. END ACTION REQUEST. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON