FRENCH FM DOUSTE-BLAZY IN ANKARA: PLAYING TO TWO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000562 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2016 TAGS: PREL ECON FR TU EU SUBJECT: FRENCH FM DOUSTE-BLAZY IN ANKARA: PLAYING TO TWO DOMESTIC AUDIENCES Classified By: Classified by PolCouns Janice Weiner, Reasons 1.4 (b),( d) ¶1. (C) Summary: During a February 1-2 trip to Ankara, French FM Douste-Blazy reminded GOT leaders that France had supported the opening of EU accession talks with Turkey, despite opposition from the French public. The French FM recommended that the French and Turkish governments work together to improve Turkey's image in Europe, and he urged the GOT to continue political reforms. Douste-Blazy said the EU expects Turkey to meet its obligations under the Customs Union, including opening its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels. Turkish FM Gul told the French FM that legislation pending in France to outlaw denial of the 1915 Armenian "genocide" would undermine academic discussion of the topic. Both the MFA and the French Embassy believe the visit went both better than expected and better than was reflected in the press. End summary. -------------- "Important, Delicate" Visit -------------- ¶2. (C) French FM Douste-Blazy's trip to Ankara was the first such visit by a French FM in two-and-a-half years, according to French Embassy contacts, who characterized it as "important and delicate". Douste-Blazy thought long and hard about whether and when to come to Turkey because of the French domestic overlay. He travelled with both journalists and a substantial trade delegation, including some of France's top businessmen, in an effort to demonstrate to the French public that ties with Turkey are real, tangible and economically necessary for France. Travel with such a business entourage was a first for Douste-Blazy, according to the French Embassy. ¶3. (C) Douste-Blazy met with Turkish FM Gul, both one-on-one and in a group. Gul also hosted a dinner, in which he included Treasury Minister and chief EU negotiator Babacan and Health Minister Akdag. (Note: Douste-Blazy is a former Health Minister, per our Embassy contact, and he and Akdag exchanged views on Avian Influenza and other issues. End note.) President Sezer also received the French FM. PM Erdogan met with Douste-Blazy and his business delegation, and Babacan had a separate meeting as well. -------------- Turkey-EU -------------- ¶4. (C) One focus was Turkey-EU. Douste-Blazy's main message was to remind the GOT that French President Chirac had given unambivalent support to the launch of Turkey's EU accession negotiations. Opening accession talks with Turkey was a French policy goal, but the subject of difficult domestic debates in France. The French FM provided Gul a lengthy explanation of why French voters had rejected the EU constitution, the debate at home, and the need to show the average Frenchman that Turkey's EU accession would represent an economic opportunity, not a burden. Gul responded that, in the end, it would be up to French public opinion - via referendum - whether or not Turkey could join. ¶5. (C) Ozgur Cinar, first secretary at the MFA Europe Department, told us Douste-Blazy emphasized the fact that a majority of the French public opposes EU accession for Turkey. The French FM recommended that the French and Turkish governments work together to improve Turkey's image. He advised Turkey to take Spain as a model. When Spain began its accession process, he said, most Frenchmen viewed it as a poor neighbor whose membership would bring no benefits to France. However, as bilateral trade increased, French officials were able to sell Spanish membership to the public. ¶6. (C) In public, the French FM praised the GOT's progress on the Copenhagen Criteria, describing the GOT as reformist in nature. In meetings, however, he stressed the need to continue down the path of reform. He reminded the Turks that the EU was not a free trade zone, but rather a community of ANKARA 00000562 002 OF 003 values. Reforms must continue, aimed at all regions of the country. ¶7. (C) Douste-Blazy further emphasized the need for additional Turkish reforms by attending a breakfast for Turkish civil society representatives at the French Embassy. The guest list included prominent authors and academicians currently facing court cases under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. The French continue to follow these cases closely, our Embassy contact noted, a point Douste-Blazy conveyed to Gul. Gul did not play down the difficulties; he said there were problems with the new Penal Code, but added that, to date, there has been neither sentencing under Article 301 nor appeals pronounced. If, he told Douste-Blazy, it appears the spirit of the reform is in danger, the GOT will have to amend the article. -------------- Cyprus -------------- ¶8. (C) The Embassy characterized Douste-Blazy's presentation of Cyprus-EU as "different in order" than UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's. The French FM's pitch consisted of SIPDIS telling the GOT that: --The EU expects Turkey to fulfill its Customs Union obligations to ratify the extension protocol and open Turkish ports and airports to the Republic of Cyprus, full stop; --The EU's September 21 declaration (Note: The EU's counter declaration to the GOT's earlier declaration on Cyprus. End note.) states that the EU will assess Turkey's progress toward fulfilling its obligations in 2006; and --To the French populace, it is inexplicable that an EU candidate country can refuse to recognize an existing EU member. ¶9. (C) Our French Embassy contact described the subsequent Cyprus discussions as quite confused. The French FM reiterated France's support for the resumption of negotiations toward a lasting settlement, and the good offices mission of the UNSYG. Douste-Blazy also encouraged the Turks to make a unilateral gesture, but made no direct reference to Gul's plan, unveiled January 24. Our contact characterized Gul as disappointed that the French did not welcome the plan, but the French FM did not want to raise false expectations. If at the end of 2006 this has not moved, we were told, it will present a real problem. -------------- Iran -------------- ¶10. (C) Douste-Blazy raised Iran with Gul, but the topic was not discussed in deail. The French FM's overall message was that it is very important to send a unified, firm message to Iran in the present context, and that Turkey has a useful role to play. He also stated that referring the matter to the UNSC would not close the door on futher IAEA diplomacy; it would depend on the Iranians. Gul responded that the Turks support the EU-3, and are sending that message to Tehran. He pledged to phone Iranian FM Mottaki to again convey this message. -------------- Economics -------------- ¶11. (C) On the economic front, GOT interlocutors discussed their latest interest in nuclear energy with the French delegation, as well as a number of important investments. The French lauded the Turks for their response on Avian Influenza, but the optics back in France - the poor people with their few chickens, officials stuffing chickens into sacks - again did not play well. Cinar said French officials and businessmen expressed an interest in investing in energy and transportation projects in Turkey. A good Embassy contact told us that PM Erdogan, however, challenged the ANKARA 00000562 003 OF 003 French FM on the importance of buying European, reportedly telling the FM that Turkey had bought Airbus and asking rhetorically what that had gained them. -------------- Armenian "Genocide" Bills -------------- ¶12. (C) Cinar said Gul raised the issue of the bills pending before the French Parliament that would outlaw denial of the Armenian "genocide." Gul argued that scholars disagree over whether the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I constituted genocide, and averred that if French legislators adopt the bills they would be preventing an open debate on the subject. Douste-Blazy replied that Parliament was unlikely to adopt the legislation, and in any case the French Government would work to ensure that the issue does not undermine bilateral relations. -------------- Visit Was "Better Than Expected" -------------- ¶13. (C) Cinar said MFA officials found the visit to be more positive than they expected, a point the French Embassy echoes. GOT leaders, and the Turkish public, tend to view the French as the primary obstacle to Turkey's EU accession. Nevertheless, the French delegation delivered the message that if bilateral cooperation is expanded, the two governments can erode popular opposition to Turkey in France. WILSON