CONSUL GENERAL DISCUSSES SECURITY, MINORITIES WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000349

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV ASEC TU
SUBJECT: CONSUL GENERAL DISCUSSES SECURITY, MINORITIES WITH
ISTANBUL GOVERNOR FOLLOWING MALATYA MURDERS

REF: A. ANKARA 0933

B. ANKARA 0144

C. 06 ISTANBUL 1691

D. ISTANBUL 0212

E. 06 ISTANBUL 2156

Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)


1. (C) Summary: Consul General met Istanbul Governor Muammer
Guler on April 20 to express condolences and address security
concerns for American citizens and minority community members
in Turkey following the April 18 murders of three Christian
bookstore employees in Malatya (ref A). Guler condemned the
assassinations and offered assurances the government had
taken immediate measures to enhance security in vulnerable
areas. CG also used the occasion to address issues affecting
the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as security concerns
associated with the Istanbul Consulate General compound
earlier raised with the Sariyer Mayor. End summary.

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THE MALATYA MURDERS
--------------


2. (C) The brutal April 18 murders of three Christian
bookstore employees in Malatya, following the January 19
assassination of human rights advocate Hrant Dink (ref B),
has raised security concerns among many foreigners and
non-Muslim community members in Turkey. CG, accompanied by
RSO and Poloff, called on Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler to
express condolences and discuss security measures taken in
the aftermath of the murder to protect those who might fall
victim to attacks from individuals wishing to exploit the
tensions created by the tragic event.


3. (C) While expressing his own condolences regarding the
April 16 killings of 33 Virginia Tech faculty and students,
Governor Guler lamented that the "sick and ill" individuals
responsible for the Malatya murders used religion as an
excuse. He noted Prime Minister Erdogan, during a
conversation the night before, reiterated that such actions
"cannot be justified in our own (Muslim) belief system."
Guler stressed that while one victim was German, the others,
"no matter what religion," were Turkish and that the
Constitution doesn't define citizenship by religion. He
pointed out that distributing Bibles is permitted and
wondered aloud why this act had been carried out now, since
for five years this bookstore had distributed Bibles in
Malatya without any problems.


4. (C) Emphasizing that the Hrant Dink incident shows that
"it is possible for anyone to do anything," Guler asked
rhetorically, "who benefits from such events?" He then
responded that it is Turkey which suffers. He remarked that
it was good the suspects were arrested and that "justice will
punish them to the full extent of the law." The Governor
added here that, despite press reports to the contrary, all
of the perpetrators in the Hrant Dink assassination case have
been arrested with sufficient evidence gathered to support
their convictions. He recognized that the Malatya incident
causes concerns for American citizens and Christians but
offered assurances the Istanbul authorities evaluated
vulnerabilities in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy and
have enhanced security measures in "sensitive" areas. The CG
reiterated our willingness to work closely with the
Governor's office to identify any vulnerabilities within the
community.

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CONSULATE GENERAL SECURITY
--------------


5. (C) CG thanked the Governor for his ongoing assistance in
responding to security issues associated with the Consulate
General compound and brought to his attention three
vulnerabilities that had been discussed with the Sariyer
municipality mayor in September (ref C) but which remained
issues of concern:

- The illegal construction of "gecekondu" housing overlooking
and in some cases nearly overhanging the Consulate General
compound and the importance of knowing who is living in those
properties;

- Lack of alternative parking options for visa applicants and
neighboring residents/small businesses, which results in
congestion and blockage on the only road available to
employees to access the Consulate General's lower Compound

ISTANBUL 00000349 002.2 OF 002


Access Control (CAC);

- The possibility of a repeat of the illegal protest which
occurred on Consulate General property last August -- or even
worse, attacks on employees -- due to lack of clear guidance
to Turkish National Police (TNP) regarding the
legal status of the property in front of the lower CAC
entrance, which belongs to the Consulate but is not fenced
off.


6. (C) The Governor stated he would discuss all three points
with the relevant authorities. He noted that illegal
construction was punishable by law and that, while he doubted
there was ongoing "gecekondu" construction, he would take
steps to stop any and to demolish illegal structures. That
said, they would address our concerns regarding building
occupants. On the parking situation, the Governor said he
would have his staff direct the Sariyer municipality to
explore incorporating a paid parking service to avoid choke
points in front of the lower CAC. Finally, he suggested the
use of barriers or signs to clearly indicate that the
property in front of the lower CAC entrance belongs to the
USG so that TNP officers would have no doubt regarding the
boundaries and how to secure the property. RSO indicated we
were already exploring signage.

--------------
THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
--------------


7. (C) Regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate, CG thanked the
Governor for the opportunity EUR DAS Bryza had March 9 to
speak with the Istanbul Deputy Governor responsible for
religious minority affairs Fikret Kasapoglu (ref D) and noted
the Ambassador had spoken recently to MFA U/S Apakan as well
on this subject. Guler listened politely but impassively as
CG observed that the Education Minister's support for the
possibility of opening Halki Seminary as a vocational school
was a hopeful sign, and that it would send a very positive
signal if something could be done at a time when the world's
attention was focused on minority issues in Turkey. CG
remarked on the positive outcome of last November's Papal
visit, noting that the Governor deserved much of the credit
for that PR success for Turkey; his office had the difficult
task of weighing security concerns against the needs of an
open and free society. There had been some bumps -- such as
the difficulties experienced by a group of influential
American Greek-Orthodox pilgrims in gaining access to the
Fener Patriarchate for joint services (ref E) -- but we
appreciated the measures taken by the Governor's office to
avoid a repeat of those problems.


8. (C) Comment: Governor Guler's condemnation of the Malatya
murders and affirmation of minority rights and equality of
citizenship reflect a wide-spread government strategy to say
the "right" things in private despite hesitance to say or do
anything in public that might be associated with political
risk. We will follow up with the designated individuals in
the Governor's office regarding the Consulate General
security issues discussed. End comment.


JONES