Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ISTANBUL427
2007-05-21 12:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Istanbul
how-toVZCZCXRO1325 OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHIT #0427/01 1411223 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 211223Z MAY 07 FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7048 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000427
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2017
TAGS: PGOV TU
SUBJECT: FORUM ISTANBUL: DP'S MEHMET AGAR
REF: A. ISTANBUL 406
B. 02 ANKARA 8994
Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000427
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2017
TAGS: PGOV TU
SUBJECT: FORUM ISTANBUL: DP'S MEHMET AGAR
REF: A. ISTANBUL 406
B. 02 ANKARA 8994
Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (SBU) Summary. Mehmet Agar, soon-to-be chairman of the
new Democrat Party (DP) that will shortly be formed through
unification of his own True Path Party (DYP) and the
Motherland (ANAP) party, last week called democracy "the most
important value in the world today" and the sine qua non for
Turkey. He said a DP government would reconcile the secular
state and Turkey's historic values. He favors Turkey's EU
accession, a fair, democratic solution for Iraq, and a
sustainable and correct relationship with the U.S. A
Susurluk cloud still mars his image with many potential
voters. End summary.
2. (SBU) Leader of the soon-to-be revived Democrat Party
Mehmet Agar addressed Forum Istanbul, a gathering of
professionals assessing Turkey's future ahead of its
centennial in 2023. Agar called the DP a unique convergence
of western democracy and Turks' own national values that
"cohabit with those of the Muslim world." The Democrat Party
of the 1950s paved the way for today's DP to address problems
within a democratic framework, he claimed. The new DP would
work within a framework of democracy looking for harmony of
national and modern values in an environment of peace.
ECONOMIC THEMES: PRO-REFORM BUT PRO-STATE INVOLVEMENT
-------------- --------------
3. (SBU) Agar sounded strongly pro-reform notes, explaining
the promise of EU membership had already fostered
international standards and helped Turkey deal with global
competition through the customs union and the on-going reform
process. Admitting faults in Turkey's own institutions, Agar
said international organizations had pushed for reforms that
strengthened civil society and prompted significant economic
reform, making Turkey more attractive to international
capital. Tax, social, public and energy sector reforms would
complete the steps needed for Turkey's successful competition
in the global economy. However, Agar still appears to cling
to dirigiste hopes, saying the DP would support "economic
resource distribution according to a democratic process
within a free market system under the rule of law." He also
somewhat quixotically called for accelerating privatization
to promote full employment.
A NO CONFLICT, RULE OF LAW PARTY?
--------------
4. (SBU) Calling the DP a "no conflict party" rooted in
democracy and the rule of law, Agar said his party would
"reconcile" Turkey's secular state and the thousand-year old
traditions of flag, nation, family and spiritual values.
Agar said there was no path for Turks but reconciliation and
democracy. He illustrated his point while claiming ancestry
in the original DP 50 years ago. Agar cited the original
DP's rollback of some early Kemalist reforms noting DP
changed the language used in the call to prayer from Turkish
back to Arabic in June 1950 shortly after sweeping into
power.
5. (SBU) Agar repeated his claim that the problem of PKK
terrorism could be solved democratically by focusing on the
youth of the southeast, saying this is the job of politics.
Recalling 400 years of Ottoman rule in Iraq, the former
Interior Minister claimed Turkey knew how to fix Iraq and
implied it should be given the chance - similar to assertions
we've heard elsewhere (Ref A).
6. (SBU) Agar ended by wrapping himself in the flag of
favorably remembered center-right Turkish politics. The DP
legacy, he said, was a straight line from the original DP
through the DYP of Suleyman Demirel and Turgut Ozal's ANAP.
Setting himself a high bar, he claimed that, in Turkey's
current political dilemma, "I must do an even better job than
previous center-right politicians." Polarization, he said,
was not healthy. But no one should doubt, he declared, that
Turkey would be more free and democratic under his leadership.
BIO NOTES
--------------
7. (SBU) After graduation from Ankara University Agar joined
the General Directorate for Security and became a district
governor in 1976. In 1980 he became the Deputy Chief
Responsible for Anti-Terrorism in Istanbul. In 1988, he was
appointed Police Chief in Ankara and in 1990, he came to
Istanbul as Police Chief. In 1995 he was elected as DYP MP
ISTANBUL 00000427 002 OF 002
from Elazig and became the Minister of Justice in 1996 in the
DYP-ANAP coalition government. In the Refah-DYP coalition,
he was Minister of Interior. Twice elected as independent MP
from Elazig, in 2002 he became the head of DYP after Tansu
Cillar resigned.
8. (SBU) As General Director of Security, word spread that
Agar set up "nationalist teams" against the PKK. He is
widely believed to have been behind the idea of opening a
"Special Warfare Unit" within the police force to participate
in anti-PKK operations with the military forces. During the
DYP-Refah coalition, he was the only cabinet member who
refused to sign a decree authorizing a visit by PM Erbakan to
Libya.
9. (SBU) November 3, 1996, during Agar's tenure as Minister
of Interior, a Mercedes collided with a truck near Susurluk,
killing three of four occupants (Reftel B). One of the dead
was Abdullah Catli, wanted by local police and Interpol for
nearly 20 years for narcotics smuggling and political
killings. Also in the car were a high-ranking police
official and a DYP deputy of Kurdish extraction. The
incident revealed politician-police-mafia links and the term
"deep state" entered the Turkish political lexicon. After
investigation indicated Agar signed papers granting a gun
license for Catli, his immunity was lifted by Parliament and
he resigned. The Istanbul prosecutor began the process
required to charge Agar with "setting up an illegal
organization for committing crime" but the Parliamentary
Investigation Committee blocked the criminal case.
10. (C) Comment. New political configurations
notwithstanding, Susurluk continues to figure in the average
Turk's political calculus. End comment.
JONES
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2017
TAGS: PGOV TU
SUBJECT: FORUM ISTANBUL: DP'S MEHMET AGAR
REF: A. ISTANBUL 406
B. 02 ANKARA 8994
Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (SBU) Summary. Mehmet Agar, soon-to-be chairman of the
new Democrat Party (DP) that will shortly be formed through
unification of his own True Path Party (DYP) and the
Motherland (ANAP) party, last week called democracy "the most
important value in the world today" and the sine qua non for
Turkey. He said a DP government would reconcile the secular
state and Turkey's historic values. He favors Turkey's EU
accession, a fair, democratic solution for Iraq, and a
sustainable and correct relationship with the U.S. A
Susurluk cloud still mars his image with many potential
voters. End summary.
2. (SBU) Leader of the soon-to-be revived Democrat Party
Mehmet Agar addressed Forum Istanbul, a gathering of
professionals assessing Turkey's future ahead of its
centennial in 2023. Agar called the DP a unique convergence
of western democracy and Turks' own national values that
"cohabit with those of the Muslim world." The Democrat Party
of the 1950s paved the way for today's DP to address problems
within a democratic framework, he claimed. The new DP would
work within a framework of democracy looking for harmony of
national and modern values in an environment of peace.
ECONOMIC THEMES: PRO-REFORM BUT PRO-STATE INVOLVEMENT
-------------- --------------
3. (SBU) Agar sounded strongly pro-reform notes, explaining
the promise of EU membership had already fostered
international standards and helped Turkey deal with global
competition through the customs union and the on-going reform
process. Admitting faults in Turkey's own institutions, Agar
said international organizations had pushed for reforms that
strengthened civil society and prompted significant economic
reform, making Turkey more attractive to international
capital. Tax, social, public and energy sector reforms would
complete the steps needed for Turkey's successful competition
in the global economy. However, Agar still appears to cling
to dirigiste hopes, saying the DP would support "economic
resource distribution according to a democratic process
within a free market system under the rule of law." He also
somewhat quixotically called for accelerating privatization
to promote full employment.
A NO CONFLICT, RULE OF LAW PARTY?
--------------
4. (SBU) Calling the DP a "no conflict party" rooted in
democracy and the rule of law, Agar said his party would
"reconcile" Turkey's secular state and the thousand-year old
traditions of flag, nation, family and spiritual values.
Agar said there was no path for Turks but reconciliation and
democracy. He illustrated his point while claiming ancestry
in the original DP 50 years ago. Agar cited the original
DP's rollback of some early Kemalist reforms noting DP
changed the language used in the call to prayer from Turkish
back to Arabic in June 1950 shortly after sweeping into
power.
5. (SBU) Agar repeated his claim that the problem of PKK
terrorism could be solved democratically by focusing on the
youth of the southeast, saying this is the job of politics.
Recalling 400 years of Ottoman rule in Iraq, the former
Interior Minister claimed Turkey knew how to fix Iraq and
implied it should be given the chance - similar to assertions
we've heard elsewhere (Ref A).
6. (SBU) Agar ended by wrapping himself in the flag of
favorably remembered center-right Turkish politics. The DP
legacy, he said, was a straight line from the original DP
through the DYP of Suleyman Demirel and Turgut Ozal's ANAP.
Setting himself a high bar, he claimed that, in Turkey's
current political dilemma, "I must do an even better job than
previous center-right politicians." Polarization, he said,
was not healthy. But no one should doubt, he declared, that
Turkey would be more free and democratic under his leadership.
BIO NOTES
--------------
7. (SBU) After graduation from Ankara University Agar joined
the General Directorate for Security and became a district
governor in 1976. In 1980 he became the Deputy Chief
Responsible for Anti-Terrorism in Istanbul. In 1988, he was
appointed Police Chief in Ankara and in 1990, he came to
Istanbul as Police Chief. In 1995 he was elected as DYP MP
ISTANBUL 00000427 002 OF 002
from Elazig and became the Minister of Justice in 1996 in the
DYP-ANAP coalition government. In the Refah-DYP coalition,
he was Minister of Interior. Twice elected as independent MP
from Elazig, in 2002 he became the head of DYP after Tansu
Cillar resigned.
8. (SBU) As General Director of Security, word spread that
Agar set up "nationalist teams" against the PKK. He is
widely believed to have been behind the idea of opening a
"Special Warfare Unit" within the police force to participate
in anti-PKK operations with the military forces. During the
DYP-Refah coalition, he was the only cabinet member who
refused to sign a decree authorizing a visit by PM Erbakan to
Libya.
9. (SBU) November 3, 1996, during Agar's tenure as Minister
of Interior, a Mercedes collided with a truck near Susurluk,
killing three of four occupants (Reftel B). One of the dead
was Abdullah Catli, wanted by local police and Interpol for
nearly 20 years for narcotics smuggling and political
killings. Also in the car were a high-ranking police
official and a DYP deputy of Kurdish extraction. The
incident revealed politician-police-mafia links and the term
"deep state" entered the Turkish political lexicon. After
investigation indicated Agar signed papers granting a gun
license for Catli, his immunity was lifted by Parliament and
he resigned. The Istanbul prosecutor began the process
required to charge Agar with "setting up an illegal
organization for committing crime" but the Parliamentary
Investigation Committee blocked the criminal case.
10. (C) Comment. New political configurations
notwithstanding, Susurluk continues to figure in the average
Turk's political calculus. End comment.
JONES