TURKEY/IRAQ: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MFA IRAQ

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SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2016
TAGS: PREL IZ IR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY/IRAQ: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MFA IRAQ
COORDINATOR CELIKKOL

Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson for reasons 1.4 (b,d).

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Summary
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1. (C) Turkish Foreign Ministry Special Representative for
Iraq Oguz Celikkol told Ambassador February 7 that
maintaining Iraq's unity is essential not only for Turkey but
for the balance of power in the entire Middle East. Turkey
is concerned an independent Sunni statelet would be a magnet
for terrorism, while a Shi'a entity would be dominated by
Iran. The Ambassador told Celikkol the U.S. appreciated
Turkey's efforts to keep the Sunnis on board before the
December elections; the Turks should coordinate closely with
our embassy in Baghdad to see where further such initiatives
might be useful. He told Celikkol a high level GOT visit to
Baghdad and an early invitation to the new Iraqi leadership
to visit Turkey would be welcome steps, and Celikkol agreed.
The Ambassador urged Turkey to exploit its considerable
economic and political leverage over northern Iraq and move
forward on opening additional border gates, and praised
Turkey's willingness to share with Iraq its recent experience
with Avian Influenza.


2. (C) Celikkol listed key Turkish concerns:

-- the distribution of key ministries in new Iraqi
government will be critical, and the Sunnis must get a fair
share.

-- the current Iraqi constitution does not give central
government sufficient authority and should be amended.

-- the Kurds are doing nothing to counter PKK in northern
Iraq; Barzani is using the PKK as a card against Turkey.

-- the 2007 referendum on Kirkuk should be delayed until the
next Iraqi Assembly is elected to ensure this divisive issue
does not inflame sectarian/ethnic tensions.

-- GOT is waiting to hear from Iraq on a "package deal" for
opening additional border crossings, but Barzani appears to
be blocking this.

Celikkol is planning to travel to Baghdad and northern Iraq
the week of February 20 and hopes to meet Ambassador
Khalilzad. The GOT may approach Embassy Baghdad for security
advice related to Celikkol's travel. End Summary

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Iraq Key to Middle East Balance
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3. (C) Celikkol stressed the importance of a unified Iraq
for stability in the Middle East. With Iranian influence
growing in both Iraq and Syria, the GOT believes that a
politically fragmented Iraq would be inherently unstable and
would upset the political balance in the region. A separate
Shi'a state in Iraq would be a magnet for Iranian influence,
while a Sunni statelet could easily become a haven for
terrorists like Afghanistan before September 11, 2001. This
is alarming the Gulf states, Celikkol stated. Turkey shares
the U.S. desire for a broadly inclusive Iraqi government
where Sunnis are guaranteed effective participation. The
balanced distribution of key ministries, particularly those
dealing with security, will be crucial. Celikkol was
critical of the Iraqi constitution, which he believes gives
insufficient power to the central government in the economic
and security areas, suggesting it be amended early.

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Two Overriding Concerns: PKK and Kirkuk
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4. (C) Reiterating points he made during his recent visit
to Washington, Celikkol complained that the Iraqi Kurds, and
the KDP under Barzani in particular, are doing nothing to
constrain the PKK but are instead using the terrorist group
as leverage against Turkey. Celikkol warned that Turkey's
neighbors (read Syria and Iran),had tried this in the past

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and failed. The GOT is convinced Barzani could easily arrest
key PKK figures roaming northern Iraq and constrain the
movement of terrorists. Instead, PKK presence is increasing
and, Celikkol observed, this will become a threat to Barzani
as well. The Kurds have gained a lot in northern Iraq,
including a booming economy, Celikkol noted, but must be told
"where the line is."


5. (C) Celikkol said a fair resolution of the status of
Kirkuk is essential to Iraq's future. He noted that the
Kurdish and Turkmen/Arab populations are roughly equal in
Kirkuk, but Kurds continue to try to change the demographics
there. The GOT believes the referendum on Kirkuk's status,
scheduled for 2007, should be delayed until a new Assembly is
elected, whereupon a special status for Kirkuk could be
decided in a way that reflects consensus and avoids inflaming
this divisive issue. The Arabs and Turkmen will not tolerate
further Kurdish attempts to change the reality on the ground
there, he warned, stating that the U.S. is the only force
that can convince the Kurds to back off.


6. (C) The Ambassador responded that the USG is aware of
Turkey's concerns regarding the PKK and Kirkuk and agreed the
PKK is a threat not only to Barzani but to long-term
stability in Iraq. He said the U.S. had approached Barzani
on the issue, but urged the Turkish side to stay in close
contact with U.S. officials in Iraq as well.

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Early Engagement with new Iraqi Government
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7. (C) Recalling that interim Iraqi Prime Minister Jafari's
first foreign visit was to Turkey, the Ambassador encouraged
the GOT to consider a high-level visit to Iraq once the new
government is installed and to invite senior Iraqi officials
to Turkey. Celikkol confirmed he is planning to travel to
Baghdad and northern Iraq the week of February 20 to advance
a prospective visit by Foreign Minister Gul, and hopes to be
able to meet with Ambassador Khalilzad. PM Erdogan is open
to inviting the new Iraqi Prime Minister as well. Celikkol
added that Turkey is prepared to assist our efforts in Iraq
in any way possible, including by hosting additional meetings
of U.S. and Iraqi political leaders in Turkey similar to the
pre-election meeting the GOT hosted with Sunni leaders in
Istanbul. The Ambassador expressed appreciation for this and
urged Turkey to raise this with our embassy in Baghdad.


8. (C) Celikkol confirmed the GOT has informed Baghdad of
its willingness to send a team to Iraq to share Turkish
experience with its recent Avian Influenza outbreak and is
awaiting an Iraqi government response with Iraq's specific
needs. (Comment. The GOT's handling of the January outbreak
has been widely praised by U.S. and international health
experts. End comment). The Ambassador praised the Turkish
initiative as but one example of the many areas where Turkey
could be helpful to Iraq.

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Northern Iraq and Border Issues
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9. (C) Noting that Turkey has growing political and
economic leverage in northern Iraq, the Ambassador urged
Celikkol to see where its considerable influence can be put
to good use, including in the opening of additional border
gates to relieve the pressure on the single Habur Gate.
Celikkol described the "package deal" on opening additional
gates the GOT had discussed with Iraqi Development Minister
Barham Salih last September and stated that Turkey is still
waiting for a response from Baghdad endorsing the idea.
Celikkol accused Barzani of blocking movement forward. He
said that, for a deal to work, Iraq would have to agree to a
set date for opening of the Ovakoy border crossing preferred
by Turkey, but this could be one of several new crossing
points opened ina phased manner. Once the GOT receives a
positive signal in this regard, it is ready to move ahead.
The Ambassador urged Celikkol to continue to seek ways to
break the deadlock. He tol Celikkol the U.S. is pleased
Turkey is establishing a consulate in Mosul and would be
prepared to assist, as appropriate. The U.S. is also trying

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to help Iraq and Turkey find a durable solution to the
problem of SOMO arrears and fuel shipments.

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Public Diplomacy
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10. (C) Celikkol reported that he and Prime Ministry
advisor Davutoglu had met with representatives of the Turkish
press on February 3 to describe Turkey's efforts in Iraq.
Both had stressed to the press that Turkey and the U.S. are
working closely for positive outcomes in Iraq and regretted
that the just-released Turkish film "Valley of the Wolves -
Iraq," depicting fictional American atrocities in Iraq, sends
an unfortunate message to the public at a time when Turkish
and U.S. goals for Iraq are closely aligned. Celikkol said
the MFA would seek to do more to publicize U.S. - Turkish
efforts in a positive light. The Ambassador promised
continued close coordination and information sharing. Post
notes that, in the wake of this February 3 meeting, several
editorials appeared in the Turkish press waxing positive on
U.S. - Turkish relations and lamenting the extremely negative
images conveyed by "Valley of the Wolves."

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Comment
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11. (C) We greatly appreciate Mission Iraq's close
coordination with the Turkish embassy in Baghdad and its
assistance with Turkish efforts to set up a consulate in
Mosul. We encourage Mission Iraq to use Celikkol's visit to
engage him on areas where Turkey can help us further our
cmmon goals in Iraq.
WILSON