TALABANI SAYS IRAQ READY FOR US SPECIAL ENVOY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003073 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER TU IZ SUBJECT: TALABANI SAYS IRAQ READY FOR US SPECIAL ENVOY, TALKS ON PKK Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Daniel V. Speckhard for Reasons 1.4 (b ) and (d). ¶1. (C) In a meeting on August 23 with the Charge d'Affaires, President Talabani reported that he had received a letter from the leaders of the PKK in which they expressed their gratitude for U.S. engagement on Kurdish issues and indicated their readiness to call for a ceasefire without conditions. Talabani told the Charge that he had sent a response to the PKK leadership with the following points: -- END THE FIGHTING: Talabani claimed to have urged the PKK to end the fighting, rather than just calling for another ceasefire. "The time for armed struggle has past," Talabani stated, and this was no longer the time of Mao Zedong or Che Guevara. Talabani said (Kurdish) Democratic Society Party leader Ahmad Turk met recently with the Director of Turkish intelligence (TNIO) and agreed that the PKK should be persuaded to lay down their arms permanently. Turk also indicated his continuing willingness to meet with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in person to press for an end to the fighting. -- HURTING KURDISH CAUSE: The PKK insistence on armed resistance is hurting the larger Kurdish cause, Talabani stated. Kurdish politics had taken huge strides recently, with the first new permanent government in Iraq being led by a Kurdish President, a Kurdish Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and others. In addition, the Kurdistan Regional Government had been codified in the newly adopted Iraqi Constitution, preserving a federal state for the Kurdish people. Continued violence by the PKK would do much to undermine these political gains. -- SUPPORT ERDOGAN: Finally, Talabani reminded the PKK leadership that Erdogan's was the first Turkish government that recognized the Kurds as a people. It is time the PKK turned toward political means to engage the Government of Turkey, which appeared willing to at least address the issues at stake. Talabani intimated that given the difficulties Erdogan's Islamic administration is facing within its own government, the PKK should take advantage of Erdogan's goodwill. (NOTE: We believe this was a veiled reference to the conflict between the Islamic administration and the secular Turkish military establishment. END NOTE). Bilateral Meetings in Europe, Joint Statement on PKK? -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Charge thanked Talabani for his helpful stance with the PKK, and advised him that the U.S. Special Envoy would soon be announced. He queried whether the Government of Iraq (GOI) would be prepared to meet during the week of September 4 in Europe for bilateral talks with the Special Envoy. Talabani responded that the GOI would be prepared to meet with the U.S. Envoy at any time, and clarified that the GOI delegation would include Kurdish representatives. ¶3. (C) Charge also asked Talabani whether the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) - led by KRG President Masud Barzani - and the GOI would be willing to make a statement distancing themselves from statements from individual Kurdish politicians expressing support for the PKK. Talabani indicated that this would not be a problem, and that he would certainly consult with Barzani and other elements in the GOI on drafting a statement disavowing any political support for the PKK. Confirmation of PKK Front Office Closures? -------------- ¶4. (C) Charge noted that the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad and the Government of Turkey had complained to both Embassies Baghdad and Ankara about the lack of movement on the announcement closures of the PKK front offices in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dahuk. In order to resolve these competing claims, Charge suggested that the U.S., along with a Turkish observer, independently confirmed the closures of the offices. He also requested GPS coordinates from Talabani's office on the exact locations of the offices. Talabani replied that the Turkish Ambassador had recently told him that Ankara was satisfied that the offices had been closed. Talabani suggested that before any further efforts are undertaken, the Charge should meet with the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad to clarify the matter. Post is setting up the meeting for this week. SPECKHARD