TURKEY/IRAQ: MULLING THE WAY FORWARD ON PKK

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001990 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2017 TAGS: PTER PREL IZ TU SUBJECT: TURKEY/IRAQ: MULLING THE WAY FORWARD ON PKK REF: A. BAGHDAD 2544 ¶B. ANKARA 1959 ¶C. BAGHDAD 2419 Classified By: CDA Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) As the pressure for a CBO into northern Iraq has diminished somewhat in the post-election period (ref B),the GOT is considering next steps in its dialogue with Iraq on the PKK issue. GOT Iraq Coordinator Celikkol told Charge on August 1 that the PKK will figure prominently in discussions with Prime Minister Maliki during his August 7 visit to Ankara. The Turks intend to push Maliki hard for a public statement labeling the PKK as a terrorist organization and condemning PKK terrorist violence. This, according to Celikkol, is a key step that will allow the Turks to take the dialogue forward in more expansive ways. ¶2. (C) During the Maliki visit the Turks also are considering a plan to broach the idea of a written agreement that would allow for Turkish operations against the PKK inside Iraq. Celikkol noted that such an agreement had existed during the Saddam era and it could be very useful now in clarifying that action against the PKK was a shared concern and common objective. He insisted that Turkey and Iraq do not have bilateral problems and the PKK issue should not cloud that fact. Turkey was open to either joint operations with Iraqi forces or unilateral operations, as long as both had the objective and result of eliminating PKK terrorism. ¶3. (C) Celikkol also noted that Turkey,s Ambassador in Baghdad had been authorized to participate in meetings proposed by Wa,ili (refs A and C). He reiterated that the GOT has placed no preconditions on this participation and their only caveat was that this dialogue not become a second track that would detract from or undermine the senior-level trilateral process. ¶4. (C) We have told Celikkol and other senior Turks that the time for expanded dialogue is long overdue. The Turks need to talk to the Iraqi federal authorities as well as the KRG in an effort to identify a way forward. Overheated election rhetoric about a cross border operation into Iraq was counterproductive and should now be replaced by creative and constructive thinking about positive outcomes. The Maliki visit will be a crucial first step and an important bellwether for both Turkish and Iraqi willingness to make serious concrete progress. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ MCELDOWNEY