AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON TURKISH OPPOSITION LEADER

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000988

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2026
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS TU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON TURKISH OPPOSITION LEADER
MUMCU

REF: A. 2005 ANKARA 006337


B. 2005 ANKARA 006878

C. 2005 ANKARA 005496

Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, E.O. 12958,
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. In Ambassador's introductory call, Turkish
center-right opposition Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Erkan
Mumcu stressed the historic contributions that his party made
to Turkish modernization, democratization, and liberalization
in the 1980s and explained how his leadership has revived the
party over the past year. He also talked about Turkey,s
important role as a Western-looking Muslim country and
requested further discussions with the Ambassador regarding
U.S.-Turkish cooperation in the region. End Summary.


2. (C) Mumcu said that ANAP was started as a center-right
party that supported modernization, democratization, and
liberalization. In the 1980s, ANAP was the party that
introduced neo-liberal economic policies and the concept of
competitiveness to Turkey. ANAP also showed Turkey how to
combine modernization and liberalization with respect for
traditional social values. ANAP, however, declined in the
1990s as corruption increased within the party and as it
became increasingly identified as a status quo party.


3. (C) Mumcu -- who took over the party leadership in early
2005 and successfully recruited 21 other MPs to join his
party (REF A) -- claimed that the public is giving ANAP a
fresh look. Overlooking the fact that several recent polls
have placed ANAP,s popularity in the 2 to 5 percent range,
Mumcu claimed that in the past eight months under his
leadership, ANAP,s standing in public opinion polls has
risen from 0.7 percent to 7.4 percent.


4. (C) Mumcu asserted that parliamentary elections this fall
were "not impossible" and did not expect the governing and
pro-Islam Justice and Development Party (AKP) to hold
elections until after the next president is selected in May
2007 (REF B). He believes AKP will win the next election and
will probably form another single-party government, but also
expects his party and the center-left Republican People,s
Party (CHP) to enter parliament. Mumcu claimed that the
center-right True Path Party (DYP) is declining in popularity.


5. (C) Mumcu openly discussed controversial issues such as
"moderate Islam" and Turkey being a "model" for other Muslim
countries (Ref C). He noted that the phrase "moderate Islam"
is understood differently in the U.S. and in Turkey, but
hinted that ANAP is a better example of the American
understanding of the concept than AKP. Mumcu also said that
Turkish democracy could become a model for other Muslim
countries, but only if the pressure that bureaucratic forces
-- a reference to the military and the secular state
establishment -- place on the Turkish political system is
removed.


6. (C) Mumcu was eager to discuss the U.S.-Turkish strategic
relationship and U.S.-Turkish cooperation on the Middle East,
Syria, and Iran. He stressed that Turkey is a
Western-looking country placed geographically between the
East and the West. Turks fought wars with the
Iranians/Persians for 400 years, and they are hated by the
Arabs. Turks are Westerners, despite being Muslim, and need
the West,s support. Mumcu believes that the U.S.
understands Turkey,s situation better than the Europeans and
he stressed the importance of U.S. support for Turkey in
EU-Turkish relations.

WILSON