AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-TURKEY TRILATERAL: EMBASSY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000986

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2017
TAGS: PREF PREL PTER ISCON AF PK TU
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-TURKEY TRILATERAL: EMBASSY
DELIVERS REFTEL POINTS

REF: STATE 54917

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Turkey will promote constructive dialogue and
seek to cool negative Karzai-Musharraf rhetoric during April
30 three-way, AF-PK-TU discussions, senior MFA officials told
the Ambassador April 26. The GOT would like to achieve a
Joint Statement and agrees that the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) is a useful platform to promote
reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. On refugees,
Turkey offered no concrete proposals. Turkey sees the April
19 shooting incident as the type of event that dialogue
should aim to prevent in the future and will press both
presidents to agree to make this process an ongoing,
high-level dialogue. END SUMMARY


2. (C) Ambassador delivered reftel points April 26 to MFA
Deputy Undersecretary for Middle East and South Asia
Sinirlioglu and Director General Aran. The Ambassador also
shared reftel points with the PM's senior foreign policy
advisor Davutoglu. According to Sinirlioglu and Aran,
Turkey's approach will be "hands on" but facilitative. The
Turks believe they have the trust of both sides and agree
that cooling the rhetoric between Pakistan and Afghanistan is
essential to rebuilding confidence.

Active and Continuing High-Level GOT Participation
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3. (C) According to Davutoglu, the idea for this meeting
arose out of discussions held when FM Gul visited Afghanistan
earlier this year. PM Erdogan proposed it to President
Musharraf at the Arab League Summit in Riyadh, followed up by
a formal invitation from President Sezer. Sezer and Erdogan
will reportedly host a dinner for the presidents on April 29,
and larger group discussions are planned for April 30.
Although MFA Head of Department for South Asia Yoruk
separately described to us Turkey's expectations as low,
Sinirlioglu and Aran believe that this trilateral dialogue
could be held every few months, at a lower level, possibly in
Ankara or on a rotational basis. Such a grouping could meet
at a Foreign Minister or Undersecretary-level, and encompass
an agenda that includes terrorism, border security, refugees
and economic development. Sinirlioglu suggested there may
also be a follow-up trilateral later this year or early 2008.



4. (C) Sinirlioglu indicated that the Turks are hopeful they
will be able to issue a joint statement. How ambitious it
may be will depend on the talks themselves. MFA also agrees
that increased OIC involvement in Afghanistan reconstruction
and development should be encouraged. He mentioned that FM
Gul suggested soliciting funds through OIC -- primarily from
the Gulf countries -- to direct toward the reconstruction of
Kabul. Aran recognized this as a practical proposal which
MFA plans to raise at the next OIC Foreign Ministers (OICFM)
Summit, May 15-17, in Islamabad. Sinirlioglu stated that
Turkey might also seek an endorsement of the OIC's role as an
outcome of next week's meeting.


5. (C) Turkey made no pledge of assistance concerning refugee
repatriation to Afghanistan. The Ambassador, stressing that
the U.S. would appreciate additional Turkish generosity on
Afghanistan, encouraged the GOT to use the trilateral to
reinforce the parties' support for the UNHCR initiative, to
which Aran replied "maybe." The MFA officials were, however,
receptive to the Ambassador's encouragement to look for areas
where the Turkish initiative can support the G-8's Security
Policy Dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan-Afghanistan Border
--------------


6. (C) The GOT agrees that armed forces shooting at each
other across the border, as occurred on April 19, is
dangerous but difficult to resolve. Sinirlioglu noted that
Afghanistan does not recognize the border as a border, but
hopes a constructive environment in Turkey may cool tensions
enough to avoid a repeat incident. He suggested that
existing mechanisms might be better placed to address the
mechanics of the border issue.

Musharraf Plans to Broach Issue of Bukti Terrorists
-------------- --------------


7. (C) Sinirlioglu said that President Musharraf has, on
several occasions, told Turkey that he plans to broach the
issue of two "Bukti" Baluchistan separatists currently in

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Afghanistan, whom he has described as "arch terrorists."
Turkey will encourage flexibility on Karzai's part and
discourage a confrontation with Musharraf over the issue.

PM's Advisor and Afghan Ambassador Reduce Expectations
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8. (C) Davutoglu said that the real work of putting this
initiative together is taking place at the prime ministry;
elements referred to by Sinirlioglu and Aran may only be
suggestions. Davutoglu reacted well to the idea of a joint
declaration, liked the idea of an OIC connection and agreed
on the urgent need for mechanisms to prevent cross-border
shooting by the two countries' militaries. In a separate
conversation, the Afghan ambassador here was dismissive of
the upcoming meeting and of Musharraf's goodwill --
suggesting Kabul's expectations may be very low.


9. (C) COMMENT. While concrete outcomes from the April 30
meetings will be limited, the Turkish initiative enhances
Turkey's constructive role in the region. END COMMENT

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

WILSON