Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ANKARA153
2007-01-25 16:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:
IS TURKEY CONSIDERING A NEW PATH ON IRAQ POLICY?
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000153
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2022
TAGS: PREL PTER ETRD ECON ENRG TU IZ
SUBJECT: IS TURKEY CONSIDERING A NEW PATH ON IRAQ POLICY?
Classified By: POL/C Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000153
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2022
TAGS: PREL PTER ETRD ECON ENRG TU IZ
SUBJECT: IS TURKEY CONSIDERING A NEW PATH ON IRAQ POLICY?
Classified By: POL/C Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) We met Jan. 23 with the new GOT Deputy Special Envoy
for Iraq, Murat Ozcelik. Ozcelik (please protect),who had
been slated to become the MFA's spokesman but at the last
minute moved into this position, told us that FonMin Gul had
asked him to pursue some new policy directions on Iraq within
the Turkish bureaucracy, including the military. Among the
alternatives would be a new approach to the Iraqi Kurds.
Turkey is increasingly worried, Ozcelik asserted, that if
Iraq disintegrates, Iran will "basically take over the whole
country, including the north." The GOT may have its concerns
about an independent Kurdistan and the PKK and Kirkuk issues,
said Ozcelik, but it is more important for Turkey's interests
to restrain Tehran's ambitions. Thus he is floating within
the Turkish interagency active and friendly engagement with
the KRG, primarily aimed at ensuring that the Iraqi Kurds
look to Turkey and not to Iran as a benefactor and protector.
2. (C) Cautioning that we were speaking without instructions,
we commented that this would be a significant policy
development that we would welcome. We reminded Ozcelik that
we have been urging the GOT for some time to reach out to the
KRG leadership. The Iraqi Kurds rely on Turkey economically,
and we would naturally prefer they have this kind of
interdependence with Turkey, not Iran. Turkey would be a
natural gateway for Iraqi petroleum products to reach
European markets as well. If Turkey could move beyond its
concerns on the PKK and Kirkuk and make moves like reaching
agreement on additional border gates, this would improve not
only Turkey-KRG ties but Turkey-Iraq relations overall (not
to mention the positive effect on our own relationship).
Ozcelik asked that, should Turkey take this new initiative,
we urge the KRG leadership to reciprocate.
3. (C) Comment: This seems like a promising development, but
it is not yet clear how much authority Ozcelik has to pursue
this initiative (though he claimed to have Gul's support).
He noted, for example, that his boss, Oguz Celikkol, was not
planning to discuss this idea during his visit to Washington
this week. Early in his career, Ozcelik was a young adviser
to former President Ozal, and worked in the private sector
before rejoining the Turkish foreign service a few years ago.
Ozcelik said he was astonished at the parched discussion at
senior interagency meetings on Iraq, and said he was working
to make the interagency process on the issue a more
meaningful exercise.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2022
TAGS: PREL PTER ETRD ECON ENRG TU IZ
SUBJECT: IS TURKEY CONSIDERING A NEW PATH ON IRAQ POLICY?
Classified By: POL/C Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) We met Jan. 23 with the new GOT Deputy Special Envoy
for Iraq, Murat Ozcelik. Ozcelik (please protect),who had
been slated to become the MFA's spokesman but at the last
minute moved into this position, told us that FonMin Gul had
asked him to pursue some new policy directions on Iraq within
the Turkish bureaucracy, including the military. Among the
alternatives would be a new approach to the Iraqi Kurds.
Turkey is increasingly worried, Ozcelik asserted, that if
Iraq disintegrates, Iran will "basically take over the whole
country, including the north." The GOT may have its concerns
about an independent Kurdistan and the PKK and Kirkuk issues,
said Ozcelik, but it is more important for Turkey's interests
to restrain Tehran's ambitions. Thus he is floating within
the Turkish interagency active and friendly engagement with
the KRG, primarily aimed at ensuring that the Iraqi Kurds
look to Turkey and not to Iran as a benefactor and protector.
2. (C) Cautioning that we were speaking without instructions,
we commented that this would be a significant policy
development that we would welcome. We reminded Ozcelik that
we have been urging the GOT for some time to reach out to the
KRG leadership. The Iraqi Kurds rely on Turkey economically,
and we would naturally prefer they have this kind of
interdependence with Turkey, not Iran. Turkey would be a
natural gateway for Iraqi petroleum products to reach
European markets as well. If Turkey could move beyond its
concerns on the PKK and Kirkuk and make moves like reaching
agreement on additional border gates, this would improve not
only Turkey-KRG ties but Turkey-Iraq relations overall (not
to mention the positive effect on our own relationship).
Ozcelik asked that, should Turkey take this new initiative,
we urge the KRG leadership to reciprocate.
3. (C) Comment: This seems like a promising development, but
it is not yet clear how much authority Ozcelik has to pursue
this initiative (though he claimed to have Gul's support).
He noted, for example, that his boss, Oguz Celikkol, was not
planning to discuss this idea during his visit to Washington
this week. Early in his career, Ozcelik was a young adviser
to former President Ozal, and worked in the private sector
before rejoining the Turkish foreign service a few years ago.
Ozcelik said he was astonished at the parched discussion at
senior interagency meetings on Iraq, and said he was working
to make the interagency process on the issue a more
meaningful exercise.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON