CODEL BLUNT DISCUSSES PKK AND TURKEY WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 001911

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2026
TAGS: PGOV TU IR IZ
SUBJECT: CODEL BLUNT DISCUSSES PKK AND TURKEY WITH
KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN ERBIL


Classified By: Political Counselor Margaret Scobey for Reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a series of meetings in the Kurdistan
Region on May 31, CODEL Blunt met with Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) President Masud Barzani, Prime Minister
Nechirvan Barzani, and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the
Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA) Adnan Mufti and Kamal
Kirkuki. Both Nechirvan Barzani and Masud Barzani discussed
the PKK and Turkey. Nechirvan expressed a more nuanced
position than Masud, reflecting an apparent pragmatic
sensitivity to Ankara's views. The Kurdistan National
Assembly (KNA) leaders asked the CODEL for U.S. support to
ensure that Kirkuk would become part of the Kurdistan region,
and claimed that the Kurdish constitution guaranteed rights
for all minority ethnic groups who lived in Kirkuk. SUMMARY.

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Turkey and the PKK
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2. (C) In a series of meetings in the Kurdistan Region on May
31, CODEL Blunt met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)
President Masud Barzani, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani,
and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Kurdistan National
Assembly (KNA) Adnan Mufti and Kamal Kirkuki. Acknowledging
the nearly 3,000 Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) members
living in camps in Northern Iraq, KRG Prime Minister
Nechirvan Barzani stated that no one has harmed the larger
Kurdish cause like the PKK, whose acts of terrorism have
plagued both Iraq and Turkey. According to PM Barzani,
roughly 3500 people have been killed, wounded, or disabled
due to the PKK. However, he continued, this is a political
problem ) Turkey did not understand this issue did not have
a military solution. The real solution to this problem, PM
Barzani continued, is for Turkey to step forward and offer
amnesty and recognize the Kurds' right to existence. PM
Barzani claimed that the PKK is ready to accept amnesty and
the chance to live in peace within the current borders of
Turkey ) without demanding a separate nation for Turkish
Kurds.


3. (C) In a separate conversation with the CODEL later in the
day, President Masud Barzani emphasized the need to maintain
good relations with Turkey, for both economic and political
reasons. President Barzani stressed that the PKK's acts of
terrorism affected not just Iraq but also the millions of
Kurds living in Turkey. He said the PKK issue would resolve
itself if the Turkish Government is truly ready for peace.
President Barzani claimed that he had advised Ankara in the
past to adopt a peaceful solution, including both amnesty for
all but the most hardened PKK terrorists and recognizing the
need for the Kurds to "express their democratic will."

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Resolving Kirkuk
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4. (C) In a separate meeting with KNA Speaker Adnan Mufti and
Deputy Speaker Kamal Kirkuki, Kirkuki asked the CODEL for
U.S. support to ensure that Kirkuk would be part of the
Kurdistan Region. Kirkuki claimed that the rights of all
groups ) Turkoman, Assyrian, and Shebak ) would be
guaranteed under the Kurdish constitution. Later, President
Barzani echoed Kirkuki's comments, stating that Kirkuk's
eventual "reunification" with Kurdistan region was already
implied in the Iraqi Constitution.

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Comment
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5. (C) While the Kurds' stance on Kirkuk is familiar, the
more interesting story here is the slight ) but significant
) differences between PM Barzani and President Barzani's
positions on the PKK and Turkey. Nechirvan Barzani
increasing seems as if he is being groomed to take over for
Masud Barzani in the line of succession as leader of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). His more nuanced position
than Masud's, and his explicit assurance of the need to
maintain the "current borders of Turkey" indicate a pragmatic
sensitivity to Ankara's views, paired with a need to resolve
a politically sensitive topic with a major economic partner.
KHALILZAD