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


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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
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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

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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