TURKEY OFERS TO HOST MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000150 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2017 TAGS: PREL KPAL TU IS SUBJECT: TURKEY OFERS TO HOST MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS SUMMIT/TRILAT REF: ANKARA 115 CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR ROSS WILSON FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: TURKEY HAS OFFERED TO HOST A PROSPECTIVE PAGE 02 RUEHAKA0150 C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000150 ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN SUMMIT AND/OR TRILATERAL MEETING INVOLVING SECRETARY RICE SHOULD SUCH A MEETING INVOLVING PM OLMERT AND ABU MAZEN TAKE PLACE. CONTINUING PM ERDOGAN'S ELECTION YEAR PRE-CAMPAIGN EFFORT TO RAISE TURKEY'S PROFILE IN THE REGION, GOT OFFICIALS HAVE SEIZED UPON REPORTS OF A POSSIBLE SUMMIT MEETING BETWEEN OLMERT AND ABBAS IN THE AFTERMATH OF SECRETARY RICES RECENT VISIT TO THE REGION AND EXPRESSED INTEREST IN SERVING AS A HOST. THE TURKS STATED CLEARLY THAT THEY DO NOT SEEK INVOLVEMENT AS A MEDIATOR, BUT RATHER WISH TO SERVE IN A FACILITATIVE CAPACITY. THERE IS PRECEDENT FOR THE TURKS PLAYING SUCH A ROLE. TURKEY HELPED TO BROKER AND EVENTUALLY HOSTED THE FIRST PUBLIC, OFFICIAL TALKS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PAKISTAN IN SEPTEMBER 2005. THE GOT HAS ALSO CONVEYED THIS OFFER TO ISRAELI OFFICIALS. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) TURKISH MFA DEPARTMENT HEAD FOR THE MIDDLE EAST SEDAT ONAL CONVOKED POLOFF JANUARY 24 TO REQUEST HE CONVEY GOT INTEREST IN HOSTING A POSSIBLE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN SUMMIT OR TRILATERAL MEETING INVOLVING SECRETARY RICE. ONAL POINTED TO PAGE 03 RUEHAKA0150 C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000150 REPORTS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SECRETARY'S RECENT VISIT TO THE REGION OF A POSSIBLE FOLLOW-ON DIPLOMATIC EFFORT INVOLVING AN OLMERT-ABBAS MEETING TO BE HELD SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY DURING THE SECRETARY'S NEXT PROSPECTIVE VISIT TO THE REGION. ONAL STRESSED THAT TURKEY'S INTENT IS TO ACT IN A FACILITATIVE ROLE AS A HOST OF SUCH A MEETING, BUT IS NOT ANGLING FOR INVOLVEMENT IN MEDIATING DETAILS OF THE PEACE PROCESS. ¶3. (C) POINTING TO PM ERDOGAN'S EFFORT IN RECENT MONTHS TO RAISE TURKEY'S PROFILE IN ITS IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD THROUGH A SERIES OF VISITS TO AMMAN, TEHRAN, DAMASCUS, AND BEIRUT, ONAL NOTED TURKEY'S INTENT TO INCREASE THE PACE OF ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH ISRAEL IN THE COMING WEEKS. FM GUL IS PLANNING TO MEET FM LIVNI ON THE MARGINS OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN DAVOS THIS WEEK, FOREIGN MINISTRY UNDER SECRETARIES WILL MEET IN ANKARA FEBRUARY 7, ISRAELI PRIME SIPDIS MINISTER OLMERT WILL BE IN ANKARA FOR A ONE-DAY VISIT FEBRUARY 15, AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN TRADE AND CUSTOMS TUZMEN WILL LEAD THE TURKISH DELEGATION TO A MEETING PAGE 04 RUEHAKA0150 C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000150 OF THE TURKISH-ISRAELI JOINT ECONOMIC COOPERATION COMMITTEE IN EARLY MARCH. TURKISH OFFICIALS HAVE RECENTLY INTIMATED PM ERDOGAN INTENDS TO VISIT ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES SOMETIME AFTER OLMERT'S VISIT TO TURKEY. IN THAT CONTEXT, ACCORDING TO ONAL, IT IS NATURAL THAT TURKEY WOULD SEEK TO ASSIST IN FACILITATING ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH EFFORTS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE QUARTET. ERDOGAN HIMSELF HAD REFERRED TO TURKEY'S WILLINGNESS TO HELP AS NEEDED DURING HIS JANUARY 18 MEETING WITH U/S BURNS (REFTEL). ONAL ADDED THE GOT HAD CONVEYED THIS OFFER TO ISRAELI OFFICIALS AS WELL. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: THE TURKISH OFFER TO PLAY A FACILITATING ROLE IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS HAS TWO MOTIVATING FACTORS. THE AKP'S FOREIGN POLICY OUTLOOK HAS LONG BEEN FOCUSED ON THE NEED TO COMPLEMENT TURKEY'S DECADES-LONG EFFORT TO WESTERNIZE AND JOIN EUROPE WITH A SIMILAR FOCUS ON INCREASING TURKISH ENGAGEMENT WITH ITS MIDDLE EAST NEIGHBORS. A PRINCIPAL GOAL OF TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IS TO HELP ESTABLISH A GREATER LEVEL OF STABILITY IN ITS REGION, TO INCLUDE FACILITATING PAGE 05 RUEHAKA0150 C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000150 DIALOGUE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIANS, AS WELL AS WITH OTHER REGIONAL ACTORS (WITNESS THE ROLE TURKEY PLAYED IN BROKERING TALKS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PAKISTAN IN SEPTEMBER 2005). IN ADDITION TO THESE LONG-TERM FOREIGN POLICY GOALS, PM ERDOGANS POTENTIAL PRESIDENTIAL BID THIS SPRING AND THE AKP'S ELECTORAL PROSPECTS IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS LATER THIS YEAR CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE HURT BY ERDOGAN ASSUMING A HIGH PROFILE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE. VISIT ANKARA'S CLASSIFIED WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/ANKARA/ WILSON