TURKEY: NATIONALIST PEOPLE'S PARTY CHAIRMAN DEVLET BAHCELI: NATIONALISM FOR ALL TURKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000319 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2027 TAGS: PGOV PREL TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: NATIONALIST PEOPLE'S PARTY CHAIRMAN DEVLET BAHCELI: NATIONALISM FOR ALL TURKS Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On February 5, Nationalist People's Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli outlined to Ambassador the party's priorities for the coming election year. His candor was hampered by an adherence to the party's declared goal of becoming the sole governing party after the general elections, currently scheduled for November 4, 2007. Bahceli indicated that MHP sees itself as a party with broader vote potential than in the past. He suggested that Turkey needs to change the terms of its relationship with the European Union (EU),said the MHP is no fascist party, and demanded a firm stance from the US on the Armenian genocide resolution. The 59-year old soft-spoken leader of the ultra-right party known for its thuggish history appeared frail and increasingly elderly, but his ability to direct the party may be stronger than in the past. END SUMMARY. -------------- The Meeting: Turkey First, Last, and Always -------------- ¶2. (C) Emphasizing that the MHP is open to and can address the needs of all Turkish people (in a "multinational representational democracy"),Bahceli named Turkey's top three issues as separatist terrorist activities, efforts to make northern Iraq independent, and Cyprus. On Iraq, he claimed the US is finding a solution to "satisfy its own public," but said that Turkey could not accept a structure out of line with the historical development of the region. The Turkmen should not be ignored. ¶3. (C) On the EU, he argued that Turkey has been fulfilling its obligations but the EU continues to obstruct progress. MHP wants the accession process to be dignified, but it is not dignified for Turkey. The government should revise the Turkey-EU relationship to be open, frank, and honest. When asked where the EU fits in MHP's priorities, Bahceli explained that the first priority was Turkey, its nation-state structure, and its territorial integrity. If the EU poses a threat to Turkey, then "we have to revise our policies." ¶4. (C) Cyprus is a national matter for Turkey, Bahceli explained. The MHP seeks a permanent bi-communal situation with POLITICAL equality. The EU is trying to implement a Greek policy and Turkey cannot accept this. The EU made a fundamental mistake by accepting Greek Cyprus as a member before the Cyprus problem was resolved. He observed that some EU states were trying to promote their own foreign policy independently or as part of ad hoc coalitions and wondered whether the EU would undergo a disintegration process similar to that of the USSR. ¶5. (C) Bahceli explained that both domestic and regional issues are intertwined; when Turks talk about "southeastern issues," northern Iraq and Kirkuk are mixed in. When they talk about the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),the US is involved in that, too. After having discussed freely a number of foreign policy issues, Bahceli deflected a question about Turkey's RELATIONS with the east. He testily asserted that it would not be right to discuss Turkish foreign policy issues with the ambassador of a foreign government. (This nationalistic stance was promptly to the press by MHP figures.) Bahceli did observe, however, that he has been to the United States nine times and to Iran only twice -- as if this were statement enough about his priorities. ¶6. (C) Bahceli showed a little life when asked about the post-Hrant Dink patriotism/nationalism debates in Turkey. He claimed that such debates were an attempt to steer people away from truths. The policies MHP defends were defined 150 years ago. What MHP believes has nothing to do with Nazism or fascism. "Are we that stupid to follow such policies?" People who have "nothing to do with nationalism" simply cannot understand it, he concluded. ¶7. (C) The Armenian genocide resolution in the US House of Representatives is very upsetting for Turkey, Bahceli said. MHP expects a firm stance from the US. As for the US Special Envoy for Combating the PKK, Bahceli demanded to know why the US insists on establishing a relationship with a third party: "Are you trying to make us sit at the table with the PKK?" The argument that Turkey's counterpart is Iraq is not convincing; the US is the one with the power in Iraq. Therefore, we need to find a solution with two allies, between two friends. We need no tool between us, he argued, because there is no government in Iraq. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) MHP is trying to become a more mainstream party, though it is as yet far from clear that the party will surmount the 10 percent hurdle to make it into the next parliament. Bahceli confidante Riza Ayhan explained that this has been Bahceli's aim all along; he is only now getting the extreme elements of the party under control (or out) enough to achieve this goal. MHP is a long way from inspiring confidence that Turkey's minority or dissenting citizens would be safe under its care. In an echo of its violent past, the sign at the door of MHP headquarters ("Please leave your weapons at the desk") reminds that among MHP-types, packing heat is still an accepted characteristic for practitioners of democratic politics. End Comment. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON