Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ISTANBUL1865
2006-10-11 11:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Istanbul
Cable title:  

LOCAL OFFICIALS, PUBLIC STAY ON MESSAGE IN EDIRNE

Tags:  ECON GR KPAO PGOV PHUM TU 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHIT #1865/01 2841142
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 111142Z OCT 06
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5674
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6106
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0728
RUEHTH/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0132
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001865 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: ECON GR KPAO PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: LOCAL OFFICIALS, PUBLIC STAY ON MESSAGE IN EDIRNE

Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001865

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: ECON GR KPAO PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: LOCAL OFFICIALS, PUBLIC STAY ON MESSAGE IN EDIRNE

Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)


1. (SBU) Summary. Local officials, reporters and academics
in Edirne sent a clear and consistent message during the
Consul General's regional familiarization trip: concern about
the PKK threat and U.S. cooperation in combating it is not
reserved for Ankara and southeastern Turkey but extends to
the outer reaches of the country's western border with
Europe. We also witnessed first hand the hopes for EU
accession and the benefits such a result would bring the
region by the generally positive descriptions our hosts had
of their future. Our willingness to answer challenging
questions and hold frank discussions was well received, a
positive sign for the potential of changing public anti-U.S.
attitudes in Turkey. End summary.


2. (SBU) We met with local government and business leaders,
reporters, academics and Baha'i community members among
others in Edirne, a city of approximately 400,000 people, on
27 and 28 September during a trip to the western limit of the
Istanbul consular district. The former capital of the
Ottoman Empire is an opposition party strong-hold with
Republican People's Party (CHP) candidates receiving 29
percent of the vote during the 2002 parliamentary elections
compared to the ruling Truth and Justice Party's (AKP) nine
percent, a fourth place showing behind the Youth (Genc) Party
and secularist-conservative True Path Party (DYP).
Nevertheless, Turkey's ten percent threshold requirement for
party representation in parliament and the complicated
formula used to allocate seats result in Edirne's four
national assembly seats being divided equally between CHP and
AKP. The mayor, CHP member Hamdi Sedefci, edged out his AKP
competitor by some 500 votes in 2004.

--------------
STEREOTYPICAL DIFFERENCES EVIDENT
--------------


3. (C) Governor Nusret Miroglu, a former governor of
Diyarbakir and career bureaucrat with significant experience
in the Ministry of Interior and a term as Deputy Director

General of the Turkish National Police (TNP),was very well
prepared for our meeting and presented his talking points in
a professional, self-reflective and well-balanced manner. He
acknowledged that Turkish-U.S. relations were not very good
at the moment but, at the same time, expressed hope that the
problems affecting this strategically important relationship
can be overcome. He stated that speaking as a Turkish
citizen, he believed the March 2003 vote was a mistake and
that if he were in the United States' shoes he understood how
it would be impossible not to be hurt by the result of that
vote. Both the United States and Turkey, he added, had
interests in Iraq and should have acted together. On the
other hand, he believed the United States needs to be more
careful and sensitive and that, in his opinion, "undeserved"
anti-American, public sentiments, fed largely by people in
the region trying to create a false image of the United
States as being against Islam, could be turned around with
the right policies. He concluded that finding a solution to
the PKK problem was most important among these and that it
would be an effective tool to improve relations.


4. (SBU) Addressing the question of his biggest local
challenges, Miroglu listed flooding, unemployment, lack of
tourism infrastructure and illegal border crossings. He
specified that dependence on national-level relations added
complexities to cleaning up sludge after flooding of the
river along the Turkey-Greece border. If left to Greek and
Turkish local authorities, he stated, the problem would be
resolved quickly. Regarding unemployment, Miroglu noted that
an organized industrial zone was established 30km north of
Edirne but he needs industries to move there. He recognized
Edirne's potential as a regional hub for tourism due to its
position as a gateway to Europe and large number of
historical sites but lamented the low quantity and quality of
hotels in the region. Finally, with respect to illegal
border crossings, Miroglu complained that the Government in
Ankara was not providing enough support to quickly process
and shelter the 1000 people arrested each month and the
500-600 people currently detained under very poor conditions.



5. (C) In stark contrast to the professional and candid
approach displayed by Governor Miroglu, Mayor Sedefci
appeared unprepared for our meeting and seemed to represent
what CHP critics often describe as the sclerotic nature of
his party. Though he has been mayor of Edirne for 12 of the

ISTANBUL 00001865 002 OF 002


last 17 years, he lists municipal infrastructure problems as
chief among his challenges and seconded Miroglu's comments
about the lack of hotels and service staff to accommodate
tourists. Indeed, we experienced first hand the poor quality
of Edirne's roads when our vehicle was unable to transit a
number of locations in the city. He also addressed the PKK
issue in the framework of U.S.-Turkish relations and repeated
an often heard claim in Turkey that if the United States
wanted to it could stop the PKK problem.


--------------
SOME SIGNS OF PROGRESS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE
--------------



6. (SBU) Despite these challenges, the mayor was positive
about the future of his city--hilighting, for example, his
focus to get the municipality to shift from coal to gas
energy sources--a sentiment the Edirne Chamber of Commerce
shared with us as well. President of the Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors Umit Mihlayanlar expressed hope that the
organized industrial zone and the Paris-Sophia-Istanbul light
rail project would attract industries and investors to the
region. He discussed the appeal of entering niche markets
such as in organic foods and described an initiative the
Chamber had undertaken to establish Edirne as a pilot city
for EU accession. Beginning this year for instance, the
Board has encouraged local companies to meet EU standards,
particularly in relation to food security and associated
markets such as the livestock industry.



7. (SBU) We also met with the rector of Trakya University,
Professor Enver Duran, and members of his staff. After a
relatively brief discussion about the University's key
programs and exploring potential opportunities for U.S.
Government assistance (they specifically requested funding
for English teachers, books and support for visiting
professors),we listened to staff concerns and addressed
questions about USG policy on a number of issues including
the PKK, Iraq, Iran and a theoretical map of a Middle East
with borders defined by ethnicity that has captured headlines
in Turkey and been falsely presented as officially sanctioned
by the USG.


8. (SBU) Finally, as an example of progress on the religious
freedom front, we received a tour of a Baha'i community
garden (venerated by the Baha'i's as home to their prophet
Baha'u'llah during his exile from Iran),which until recently
was the subject of a property dispute with the Ministry of
Education. In 2004, the Council of State overturned a
previous decision to award the site to a neighboring school
and secured the property for the Baha'i community. Suzan
Merter, public relations coordinator and former Secretary
General of the Turkish Baha'i community indicated the
decision to overturn the ruling was primarily a result of EU
and US pressure. The Baha'i community still faces problems
with the Government of Turkey (GOT). Most significantly, it
seeks recognition of the Baha'i faith as a religion.
Community members are not able to identify themselves as
Baha'i on their Turkish identification cards and by leaving
the religious identification part of the card blank are
considered by the GOT to be "without religion."



9. (SBU) Comment: While we received a consistent message
from interlocutors throughout the trip, our response was also
consistent--we understand the pain terrorism has caused
Turkey, share a desire to find a resolution to the PKK
problem and have taken a number of measures with that goal in
mind; not least of which, is the recent appointment of former
NATO SACEUR General Ralston as U.S. special envoy for
countering the PKK threat. Miroglu's previous experiences as
Governor of Diyarbakir and Deputy Director General of the TNP
add weight to his opinion and bode well as a signal of the
potential for improving U.S.-Turkish relations. At the same
time, our experience discussing challenging issues with a
wide variety of audiences indicates that USG policy is at the
forefront of people's minds across the country but that a
willingness to discuss these issues frankly while
demonstrating a bit of empathy is vital to changing
attitudes. End comment.
OUDKIRK