TURKS PREFER CYPRUS NOT BE A PARTY TO THE GLOBAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000780

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/SE AND ISN/WMD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017
TAGS: PTER KGIT PREL PARM TU CY
SUBJECT: TURKS PREFER CYPRUS NOT BE A PARTY TO THE GLOBAL
INITIATIVE

REF: ANKARA 0643

Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) In an April 3 meeting with Ambassador, Turkish MFA
U/S Ertugrul Apakan restated Turkish objections to Cyprus
becoming a party to the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism (GI) (reftel). Apakan and Deputy Director General
for Arms Control Ahmet Gun explained that, at the February
Ankara meeting, they believed there was agreement in the
co-chairs' text that any newcomer to GI should be accepted by
consensus. The aim was to not import political problems into
the process that could distract from the efforts of the
initiative.


2. (C) Gun indicated that Turkey welcomed new members, with
the exception of the Republic of Cyprus, and had signaled
this to U/S Joseph, as well as at a recent HLTF meeting in
Brussels. Gun added that the addition of Cyprus would make
his work on these issues with an interministerial group in
Ankara quite difficult and would limit Turkey's role in the
initiative. Ambassador responded that as the aim of GI is to
counteract proliferation and nuclear smuggling, it is useful
to have as parties countries directly affected by those
issues. The concerns Turkey had expressed would be
considered in Washington.


3. (C) Comment: Apakan did not say Turkey would pull out of
GI if Cyprus becomes a party; his message was that active
Turkish participation would suffer. It is essential that we
find ways to keep a nation astride the Bosphorus, with
neighbors that make it a likely transit country for nuclear
smuggling, actively on board with GI.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON