TURKEY: SENIOR OFFICIALS APPROACHED FOR HELP WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001528 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/IR E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2017 TAGS: CASC PHUM PREL IR TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: SENIOR OFFICIALS APPROACHED FOR HELP WITH MISSING/DETAINED AMCITS IN IRAN REF: A. STATE 80300 ¶B. ANKARA 1476 Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) After an initial approach at working levels regarding the issue of missing/detained Amcits in Iran (ref b),we have used more senior-level meetings to elicit Turkish assistance. In addition to the points in ref a, we have noted Turkey,s helpful role when UK service personnel were detained by Iran, Turkey,s ongoing relationship with Iran, and our hope that a Turkish nudge might be helpful. ¶2. (C) MFA U/S Ertugrul Apakan told us June 13 that Turkey would like to be helpful and said he would take the matter up with FM Gul. In a meeting on June 14, PM/FM foreign affairs advisor Ahmet Davutoglu took notice when he realized that he knows one of the detained Iranian-American academics. He said he would try to help. He asked what he could say in response to Iranian questions regarding its personnel held by the US in Iraq. Ambassador said he had no new information, but noted that these Iranians were training and supplying terrorists and are not comparable to the Americans in question. ¶3. (C) MFA Deputy U/S for the Middle East and South Asia Feridun Sinirlioglu, based on our having raised this earlier with his staff (ref b),took up the issue during his consultations in Tehran earlier this week. (His readout of those consultations is being reported septel). The Iranians gave Sinirlioglu the impression that the matter may be resolved soon and evidently hinted at exchanges with the US through the Swiss. Sinirlioglu said he believed the Iranians regard these detentions as linked to the American detention of Iranians in Iraq and that any resolution therefore would involve both sets of missing/detainees. Sinirlioglu added that FM Gul may call FM Mottaki shortly to follow up on this matter. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON