GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM:

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000643 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2027 TAGS: PTER KNNP IAEA CY TU SUBJECT: GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM: TURKEY DOES NOT WANT CYPRUS TO JOIN REF: A. STATE 33258 ¶B. ANKARA 0451 Classified By: DCM Nancy McEldowney for Reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) We notified MFA Arms Control Deputy Director General Ahmet Muhtar Gun that the U.S and Russia have invited most of the world's countries to participate in the initiative (ref a). In response, Gun repeated earlier Turkish concerns about Cyprus becoming a partner. He warned that, while the MFA has not yet made a decision on how Turkey will react if Cyprus joins the GI, Turkish withdrawal is a strong possibility. ¶2. (C) Gun acknowledged that Turkey has joined other non-proliferation regimes where Cyprus was already a member (NPT and Australia Group, for example),but opposes Cypriot membership in organizations where Turkey is already a member. (Comment. We understand that Turkey successfully lobbied against Cyprus' participation in the Wassenaar Arrangement. End comment). Gun said the Turkish side had understood from the first GI meeting in Rabat that important decisions, including those on membership, would be taken on the basis of a consensus of the partners. ¶3. (C) Comment. The Turkish government believes that Cyprus abuses its membership in international organizations to promote its own views on the Cyprus issue while spreading anti-Turkish propaganda. While Turkey is unlikely to repudiate the Statement of Principles and the Global Initiative entirely, Cypriot membership may indeed cause Turkey to suspend active participation in GI meetings as well as support for partnership activities. This would be a huge loss for the GI. We will continue working with Turkish officials to stress the value of the GI and urge against hasty action. End comment. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON