TURKEY: SARG FM MUALLEM'S VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000246

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2017
TAGS: PREL ECON IQ SY LE TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: SARG FM MUALLEM'S VISIT

REF: A. ANKARA 222


B. DAMASCUS 000017

C. 06ANKAA6617

D. 06ANKARA6563

Classified By: Political Counselor Janice Weiner for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The February 1 visit of SARG FM Muallem to
Ankara was the latest in a series of high level visits in
both directions in recent months. Muallem's day of
high-level meetings did not break any apparent new ground but
focused primarily on ways the GOT and SARG could cooperate
with other regional partners to help stabilize Iraq, as well
as to support Iraq's independence and territorial integrity.
Muallem also reportedly conveyed SARG fears of growing
instability and sectarianism throughout the Middle East and
its efforts to address those issues in Lebanon and with
Palestinian factions. END SUMMARY

SYRIAN FM MUALLEM'S VISIT
--------------


2. (C) According to MFA Department Head for the Middle East
Sedat Onal, Muallem's visit was planned on very short notice
and at the initiative of the SARG. Muallem met with his
counterpart, FM Abdullah Gul, as well as with President Sezer
and PM Erdogan. The meetings with Sezer and Erdogan had
ostensibly been scheduled to allow Muallem to convey messages
from President Asad to them directly concerning regional
issues, including Iraq and the growing level of sectarian
polarization throughout the Middle East.


3. (C) Onal said Muallem shared with GOT officials the
results of recent visits to Damascus by Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and passed
on Bashar Asad's hope for continued sharing and coordination
of ideas on a regional basis in an effort to diminish growing
sectarianism. Apparently without irony, Muallem reportedly
pointed to Iraq and Lebanon as examples of the havoc that
could engulf the entire region should Middle Eastern leaders
not begin to discuss ways to avoid such a conflagration.
Muallem also conveyed Asad's views and priorities on Iraq,
namely: safeguarding Iraq's territorial integrity and the
welfare of its people; and guaranteeing Iraqi independence.

SARG THINKING RE IRAQ
--------------


4. (C) Muallem said Iraq's independence could best be
supported by bringing to the fore the Arab-Islamic nature of
Iraq as a way to help contain worsening sectarian violence,
establishing an Iraqi army on a national basis rather than
along sectarian lines, amending the Iraqi constitution to
alleviate concerns about possible disintegration, ensuring
the government takes on a clearly national vice religious
character, reviewing de-Baathification laws to help stem the
insurgency supported by former government officials,
disarming and disbanding militias, and establishing a
calendar for the departure of international troops. Onal
said the SARG's position on the final point was to
synchronize the withdrawal of foreign troops with the
completion of adequate training of Iraqi troops so as not to
create or contribute to instability.

THE NEIGHBORING COUNTRY INITIATIVE
--------------


5. (C) Onal underscored that Turkey continues to press
forward with the "neighboring countries initiative" which
brings Iraq's regional neighbors together with the GOI with
the goal of ensuring all of them are working to keep Iraq
united, eschewing "divisive policies," and supporting the
strengthening of Iraq's security forces. He indicated the
GOT hopes this initiative can, at some point, be linked to
the P-5 to provide a broader level of international support

ANKARA 00000246 002 OF 002


for these goals and noted that Muallem and the SARG support
that linkage.

LEBANON/PALESTINIANS
--------------


6. (C) Muallem also discussed factional fighting among the
Palestinians and the situation in Lebanon. He described SARG
efforts (together with Qatar) to help Fatah and Hamas reach
an understanding on a Palestinian government of national
unity, which had been unsuccessful to date. Onal reported
that Muallem also noted the SARG had been trying to
"influence" the Lebanese opposition to stop its
destabilization of PM Siniora's government but that,
according to Muallem, they (the opposition) "seem to be
determned to push for early elections." Onal said Muallem
conveyed the SARG's belief that the tribunal designed to
investigate political assassinations in Lebanon was the
crucial outstanding issue that, if solved, would probably
allow for all other outstanding issues to be resolved. Onal
noted the SARG signaled its support for Arab League Secretary
General Amr Moussa's idea to form a commission to look at
jurisdictional issues related to the tribunal, relaying SARG
concerns that the body "deal with legal and technical issues
instead of political ones." Onal also passed on PM Erdogan's
concern as expressed to Muallem that Lebanese leaders were
taking an "emotional vice rational approach" and were in
danger of setting into motion events that they would then be
unable to control.

WE LIKE YOU BETTER THAN IRAN
--------------


7. (C) Finally, Onal described Muallem's effort to convey at
each of his meetings the importance the SARG attaches to its
relationship with Turkey as well as how the SARG's interests
diverge from those of Iran. Pointing to the different
sectarian make-up of majority Sunni Syria and majority Shia
Iran, as well as to the Islamist nature of the Iranian regime
compared to the sectarianism of the SARG, Muallem said it
should be clear "there is not 100 percent convergence between
Syria and Iran." In fact, Muallem emphasized the SARG's view
that Turkish-Syrian relations were far better now than
Syrian-Iranian ties, and that the SARG's relationship with
Iran in recent years had been a "natural consequence of the
West's policy of isolation of Syria." Muallem said the SARG
now looked more to Turkey to help solve regional issues that
destabilize all countries in the Middle East.


8. (C) COMMENT: Muallem's visit was the latest in a series of
visits by senior officials from both countries in recent
months. We are hard-pressed to find anything ground-breaking
in what Muallem discussed while in Ankara, but the fact that
the visit occurred - as well as the high-level reception
Muallem was given - seem to fit into the longer-term effort
by both countries to engage one another more regularly.
While Syria looks to end its isolation in any way that it can
and sees Turkey as the most convenient means to do so, the
GOT's primary motivation is its overriding fear of what
continued instability in the region might mean for Turkey.
Turkey is prepared to work with all its neighbors to prevent
sectarianism and extremism from consuming the entire region,
sees merit in trying to end the Damascus-Tehran axis, and
believes it preferable to work with the devil it knows (Asad)
rather than with one it does not.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON