IRAQ: TURKISH MFA ALLEGES KURDISH MISCONDUCT ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001037

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV TU IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKISH MFA ALLEGES KURDISH MISCONDUCT ON
KIRKUK PROCESS


Classified By: POLCouns Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) After a spell of relative public silence on the
Kirkuk issue, the Turkish MFA released a statement May 2
complaining that a key decision on implementing the Article
140 process -- namely compensation for relocation of "new
Arab" families who were moved to Kirkuk under Saddam
Hussein's regime -- was taken precipitously in Baghdad in the
absence of PM Maliki. The statement (full text in para. 4)
urges that decisions about the future status of Kirkuk be by
consensus, and emphasizes that Turkey's position is grounded
in its concern for regional security and Iraq's territorial
integrity.


2. (C) In the absence of MFA's senior Iraq team (who are all
in Sharm el-Sheikh),we asked MFA Iraq Head of Section Aydin
Selcen what prompted Turkey to make a public statement NOW on
Kirkuk, given that lately (in large part on our advice) the
GOT had chosen to make its concerns known in a private way.
Selcen responded that the GOT is angry about reports from
Baghdad that the following allegedly occurred:

--PM Maliki sent regulations on Kirkuk regarding compensation
for "new Arabs" to the Council of Representatives (COR) for
consultation/consideration.

--While Maliki was out of the country in late April, DPM
Salih, as acting PM, unilaterally took the issue back from
the COR and signed off on it.

--Many members of the cabinet and the COR, including the
speaker, are furious with Salih for doing this.


3. (C) We cautioned Selcen that there may be a negative Iraqi
reaction to MFA's statement, and not only from the Iraqi
Kurds. Selcen understood, adding that the Turkish delegation
at Sharm will discuss the matter with the Iraqis and
emphasize that the statement is not intended as a broadside
against the Maliki government.


4. (U) Text of MFA statement (MFA's unofficial translation)

BEGIN TEXT

2 May 2007

STATEMENT OF THE SPOKESMAN OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
OF TURKEY IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION

(Unofficial Translation)

Press reports suggesting that an Iraqi Council of Ministers
High Commission decision concerning the implementation of
Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, pertaining to the
determination of the final status of Kirkuk as well as other
disputed territories was approved while Prime Minister Maliki
was out of the country and that forms are being distributed
to Arab families willing to leave Kirkuk in exchange of
financial reimbursement have also came to our attention. It
is deemed necessary to remind the public opinion once again
our points of view and expectations on these issues.

Amendment of the Iraqi constitution, and within this context
amendment of Article 140 and postponement of the
implementation of or determining the means of implementation
of the said Article, are issues that should be resolved by
the Iraqi National Assembly on a consensus basis. As these
issues concern the common future of all Iraqis, settlement of
such matters through consensus among all Iraqi groups is a
necessity that commonsense and regional stability calls for.
However, we witness with regret neither a common
understanding nor a consensus emerging from the deliberations
of the Iraqi National Assembly regarding this subject.

It is obvious that rushing these issues or attempting to
solve them by one-sided approaches based on pushing
near-sighted maximalist agendas of certain groups which

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entail fait accomplis will have negative repercussions on
Iraq's territorial integrity, national unity and internal
peace. We expect that Turkey's legitimate concerns be taken
into consideration. Turkey has always given high priority to
the well-being of Iraq.

In fact, numerous recently published reports, including
International Crisis Group's Kirkuk Report and Baker-Hamilton
Report, prove that our country's concerns on regional
stability are widely shared by the international community.
In this respect, we preserve our conviction that all
challenges that concern Iraq should be resolved through
consensus-based solutions, involving active participation of
all Iraqi groups.

Furthermore, decisions on the implementation of Article 140
must not be based on fait accomplis or coercion. Rather, as
with all other challenges in Iraq, this issue should be
resolved through the common will of all the groups
represented at the Iraqi National Assembly taking into
consideration the common future and interests of all the
components of the Iraqi nation.

Disruptive situations emanating from Iraq affect not only
Iraq and Iraqi citizens, but also its neighbours and our
region. As such, Turkey's sensitivities stem from the
importance it attaches to regional security and stability,
and they should by no means be interpreted as interference in
Iraq's domestic affairs.

END TEXT

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WILSON