Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ANKARA4235
2006-07-20 16:22:00
SECRET//NOFORN
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

PUK REPRESENTATIVE GALALI DISCUSSES PKK AND KIRKUK

Tags:  PREL PTER ENRG ETRD TU IZ 
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004235 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2021
TAGS: PREL PTER ENRG ETRD TU IZ
SUBJECT: PUK REPRESENTATIVE GALALI DISCUSSES PKK AND KIRKUK
ISSUES

REF: ANKARA 4085

Classified By: DCM Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004235

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2021
TAGS: PREL PTER ENRG ETRD TU IZ
SUBJECT: PUK REPRESENTATIVE GALALI DISCUSSES PKK AND KIRKUK
ISSUES

REF: ANKARA 4085

Classified By: DCM Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S//NF) SUMMARY: Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Turkey
representative Bahros Galali told us he will immediately urge
President Talabani and KRG President Barzani to take public
steps against the PKK as a way to prevent a Turkish
cross-border operation (CBO) into northern Iraq and to also
send an Iraqi Kurdish delegation to Turkey. He also
suggested that Talabani would like to slow the momentum on
Kirkuk and opined that the scheduled December 2007 referendum
on the city's status would be delayed. He also told us that
the GOT was considering opening a border gate with Syria and
noted that Talabani still has not received an invitation to
visit President Sezer. END SUMMARY

--------------
PKK Problem in Northern Iraq
--------------


2. (S//NF) Deploying Washington guidance, we urged the Iraqi
Kurds to take action as soon as possible to constrain PKK
freedom of action in northern Iraq. Galali--who in the past
has demonstrated his close relationship with top PUK
leaders--told us that he would send a note to both Talabani
and Barzani emphasizing that KRG needs to take action against
the PKK to show Turkey that they take this issue seriously.
He took on board our request that the GOI and the Iraqi Kurds
take public actions, such as closing down PKK offices in
Erbil and Baghdad and condemning PKK attacks in Turkey, and
agreed to include these points in his message. Galali also
said that he would suggest that the Iraqi Kurds send a
delegation to Ankara to speak with Turkish officials about
how to solve the PKK problem in Northern Iraq. He informed
us after the meeting that the message was sent and received.

--------------
Slowing Kirkuk Process
--------------


3. (C) Galali told us that Talabani would like to slow down
the process on Kirkuk; however, Talabani could not say this
publicly. He acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue and
agreed that some solution needs to be worked out with the
other ethnic groups in Kirkuk to prevent conflict. Galali
said that Talabani and other PUK leaders know that issues
such as compensation for Arabization Arabs who will leave the
city will need to be dealt with. He opined that the
scheduled December 2007 referendum on the city's final status
would be delayed. When we asked if Barzani and the KDP
supported Talabani's idea of slowing down the process, he
noted that up until now Barzani and Talabani were of the same
mind, but he does not know how Barzani would react to a delay.

--------------
A Border Gate with Syria?
--------------


4. (C) Galali told us that the Turks were supposedly
negotiating with the Syrians to open a border gte that would
allow traffic to travel from southeastern Turkey through
Syria to Tal Afar and Kirkuk (NOTE: We understood that Turkey
and Iraq had agreed in principle to two border gates, one at
Ovakoy on the far western side of the Turkey-Iraq border, and
one near the current crossing, both of which abut KDP
territory (reftel). END NOTE). We queried why the Turks
would want to create such a round-about route, and Galali
asserted that this way the Turks could give direct support to
the Turkmen and also have a route to Kirkuk that would
completely bypass KDP territory.

--------------
Invitation for Talabani to Visit Sezer
--------------

ANKARA 00004235 002 OF 002




5. (C) Galali noted that although Talabani has been President
for two years he has never received an invitation from
President Sezer to visit Ankara. He believes that this is
because Sezer does not like Kurds and therefore does not want
to meet Talabani, though we note that Sezer did receive
FonMin Zebari during his recent visit. We told him that we
would work with the Turkish MFA to get Talabani an invitation.


6. (S//NF) COMMENT: Galali appears to be closely tied to top
PUK leaders, including Talabani, and is savvy enough to
realize that a Turkish cross border operation in Northern
Iraq would be bad for the Iraqi Kurds and the U.S. He
appeared genuine in his desire to convince Talabani and
Barzani that something needed to be done immediately to
placate the Turks on the PKK.


Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON