TURKEY: MFA EXPLAINS PARLIAMENTARY MOTION ON CROSS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002566 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EUR/SE AND NEA/I E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2017 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ US SUBJECT: TURKEY: MFA EXPLAINS PARLIAMENTARY MOTION ON CROSS BORDER OPERATION -- NO IMMINENT ACTION REF: A. ANKARA 2549 ¶B. ANKARA 2546 Classified By: DCM Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: MFA convoked representatives of approximately 25 missions October 17 to explain the reasons behind the GOT's parliamentary motion to authorize a cross border operation (CBO) against PKK terrorists in northern Iraq. MFA officials emphasized that passage of the motion by parliament does not mean military action is imminent, that dialogue with Iraqi authorities will continue, and that the sole target of any such operation would be PKK terrorists. The message from MFA reiterates what GOT officials have been saying both publicly and to us privately in connection with this motion. It tempers the inflammatory coverage of the issue in the Turkish media following the strong statement PM Erdogan made in introducing the measure in parliament October 16. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) GOT Iraq Coordinator Amb. Oguz Celikkol and MFA DG for Security Affairs Amb. Hayati Guven briefed diplomats from 25 missions, representing P-5, G-8, some EU and other regional countries, on October 17 regarding thinking behind the GOT's introduction of the motion in parliament seeking authorization for a CBO to counter the PKK threat in northern Iraq. Celikkol reiterated points made publicly October 15 by Deputy PM and government spokesman Cemil Cicek, including: -- Passage of the motion by parliament is part of the GOT's strategy for combating PKK terrorism and does not mean that military action is imminent; -- Dialogue between the governments of Turkey and Iraq will continue; -- The GOT considers Iraq to be a friendly country and respects Iraq's territorial integrity; -- The sole target of any military action, should the government feel compelled to pursue it, will be the PKK terrorist threat in northern Iraq. This is not an attack against Iraq or the Iraqi government; -- According to the motion, the government will determine the timing, scale, and duration of any military operation in written instructions to the Turkish military; and -- The GOT remains hopeful that it can achieve such results through diplomatic means and that military action will not become necessary. ¶3. (SBU) Amb. Guven provided background on the GOT's long struggle against PKK terrorism. Citing casualty figures for 2007 of 109 security personnel killed and 227 wounded, with 23 civilians killed and 144 wounded, he said that Turkish patience is at an end. The GOT will take the necessary steps that any government would when faced with such a threat. Celikkol added that the GOT has been very patient in pursuing action against the PKK through dialogue with the governments of Iraq and the United States. He also admitted to regular GOT dialogue with Northern Iraqi Kurdish political party representatives and Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) officials. KRG leaders are well aware of GOT concerns regarding the PKK presence in territory controlled by the KRG. The problem, according to Celikkol, was not a lack of dialogue but a lack of KRG action against the PKK. Celikkol expressed the GOT's deep appreciation for the efforts of the United States in trying to stem the PKK threat, but again lamented the lack of concrete results. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: PM Erdogan's strong statement in introducing the motion in parliament late on October 16 ("Whatever is ANKARA 00002566 002 OF 002 necessary (to counter the terrorist threat) will be done...normal rules do not apply when self-defense is at stake."),and incendiary comments from nationalist opposition leaders, are being played up by some segments of the Turkish media as a prelude to war. However, the thrust of the message behind the MFA briefing and that which we are hearing from other government officials, both in public and in private, remains that this motion gives the GOT more leverage to urge Iraqi action against the PKK. At the same time, it allows Erdogan and his government to show that they have "done something" in response to public outrage. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON