TURKISH IRAQ COORDINATOR ON NEIGHBORS-PLUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000749 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2017 TAGS: PREL IZ TU SUBJECT: TURKISH IRAQ COORDINATOR ON NEIGHBORS-PLUS MEETING, OTHER ISSUES ANKARA 00000749 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Amb. Ross Wilson, reasons 1.4 b,d ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a meeting with Ambassador April 2, Turkish MFA Iraq Coordinator Oguz Celikkol urged a prompt decision on the timing and venue of the Iraq Neighbors-plus ministerial, which Turkey hopes will be April 23-24 in Istanbul. He said that PM Maliki should have no concerns about an Istanbul venue. There will be no surprises, and Turkey has no intention of highlighting its bilateral concerns -- including the PKK and the status of Kirkuk -- at the multilateral table. On other matters, Celikkol -- said Turkey is concerned that VP Hashimi is losing ground among Iraqi Sunnis and urged that steps be taken to raise his political profile in Iraq; -- indicated Turkey would like to send medical, food, and other humanitarian relief to Tal Afar and would like to revive the successful 2005 reconciliation effort there; and -- reviewed Talabani's meeting with PM Erdogan in Riyadh. END SUMMARY NEIGHBORS-PLUS MINISTERIAL -------------- ¶2. (C) Celikkol expressed frustration with contradictory Iraqi and Egyptian statements on the Iraq Neighbors-plus ministerial. He understood that a presidency council meeting scheduled for April 2 in Baghdad is supposed to decide Iraq's position on the matter. From Ankara's point of view, the venue and timing need to be decided ASAP so that invitations can go out before week's end. He said that PM Maliki need not be concerned that he/his government will be isolated, undermined, or otherwise embarrassed in Istanbul. Turkey believes the purpose of this conference is to support Iraq and its government. Turkey has no hidden agenda, will not bring any surprises to the table, will not allow others to do so, and has no intention of bringing bilateral issues such as PKK and Kirkuk to the table either. ¶3. (C) Ankara is preparing a draft ministerial statement that would build on previous Neighbors' statements and the results of the March 10 meeting in Baghdad, Celikkol indicated. He would like to coordinate this draft with us and with the Iraqis before sharing it with others. Celikkol proposes doing consulting with Washington on the margins of the German Marshall Fund-hosted conference on Iraq that takes place April 10-11. VP HASHIMI -------------- ¶4. (C) Celikkol said FM Gul was struck in recent talks here with VP Hashimi that the Iraqi Sunni leaders fears he is losing ground among his Sunni constituents. FM Gul had asked him to raise this with Ambassador and make the point that Turkey regards this as a negative development. Hashimi needs something to take to his community - e.g. some step forward on the constitutional review mechanism, conferring more authority to the Presidency Council where Hashimi has a role, etc. Failing this, Celikkol suggested, extremist and radical Sunnis, as well as al-Qaeda, will gain further in stature and a key moderate Sunni voice will be lost. TAL AFAR -------------- ¶5. (C) The bombing and subsequent violence in Tal Afar alarms Ankara, Celikkol indicated. As it did in 2005, Turkey would like to provide help to the city, such as medical, food, and other humanitarian aid, as well as assistance in rebuilding infrastructure. Turkey would also like to see a revival of cross-sectarian reconciliation efforts that were successful in 2005. He identified no specific help that Turkey has in ANKARA 00000749 002.2 OF 002 mind, but suggested the Turkish consulate in Mosul might usefully consult with PRT Mosul in determining what kinds of help might be most beneficial and in how best to coordinate with the GOI and, if necessary, MNF-I on security and logistics issues related to its delivery. TALABANI/ERDOGAN -------------- ¶6. (C) Celikkol said that Turkey regarded the Talabani-Erdogan meeting, the first high-level exchange of its kind, as significant and positive. Summarizing elements of the official report of the meeting, Celikkol said that Erdogan pressed for an Iraqi decision on the Neighbors-plus ministerial, which Talabani indicated will come shortly. On Kirkuk, Talabani suggested Erdogan send someone from his "party" to look at land registry data, which Erdogan accepted on behalf of the government. Erdogan also urged that "Kirkuk for Iraqis" supplant "Kirkuk for Kurds" as a goal for the city/region. Erdogan appealed for more help on the PKK. Talabani promised this and said that the PKK is betraying Turkey and all Kurds everywhere. Erdogan reiterated earlier offers to train Iraqi security personnel in Turkey. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON