IFTAR SEASON IN ISTANBUL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000928

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: IFTAR SEASON IN ISTANBUL

REF: ISTANBUL 872

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Classified By: Consul General Sharon Wiener for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.


1. (C) Summary and comment. Iftar dinners traditionally
highlight family, tranquillity and solidarity. While
U.S.-Turkey friendship and cooperation were themes at most
iftars, guests often noted challenges in the relationship.
The Consul General hosted our first Iftar on September 18, in
honor of visiting Undersecretary Burns (reftel). In what has
become an annual event, the POL/ECON section hosted Justice
and Development Party (AKP) local operatives September 25.
Media editors and writers, along with a sprinkling of
politicians, mingled at a third CG-sponsored Iftar on
September 27 while our final Iftar this Ramazan was an
October 1 FCS-sponsored event that brought together an
environmental technologies trade mission and municipality
officials, including the mayor of Istanbul. In formal
conversations and other chance meetings throughout Istanbul,
Turks continue to be warm and appreciative of an America they
prefer to view as a friend. However, on-going opposition to
U.S. action in Iraq, particularly our perceived failure to
"do more" in combating the PKK in Northern Iraq, combined
with growing alarm regarding U.S. intentions toward Iran have
contributed to a climate of suspicion that is apparent even
among those who count themselves as our "friends". End
summary and comment.

Big Business and Members of Parliament
--------------


2. (SBU) In a broad-ranging September 18 dinner
conversation with two recently-elected AKP members of
parliament and four senior business leaders, Undersecretary
Burns discussed constitutional reform, prospects for
resolving conflict with Armenia, the treatment of minorities
in Turkey, Turkish press and public opinion of the United
States as well as relations with the EU, Iran and Northern
Iraq and the PKK. Viewpoints were fairly diverse, but the
group agreed that the new Justice and Development Party
(AKP)-controlled government was positioned to move forward
on these and other difficult issues. (Please see reftel for
a detailed readout.)


Istanbul AK Party Leadership
--------------


3. (SBU) Pol/Econ officers hosted AKP local party
functionaries on September 25. Party Youth Branch attendance
was high in addition to deputy chairmen and other ranking
members who attended. Alican Tasci, Deputy Chairman for
political and juridical affairs suddenly turned from lighter
conversation to ask, "What about Iran? Turkey won't support
you in a war with Iran." The war in Iraq led to deaths of
many women and children; Turkey could not give its support
for a war effort against a neighbor following such mismanaged
efforts in Iraq, according to Tasci. Couldn't the U.S. work
harder at diplomacy? We said the U.S. and European allies
are employing diplomacy to convince Tehran to give up its
nuclear program, but major economic deals such as Turkey's
gas agreement undercut efforts to isolate the regime to
compel a stop to the nuclear program. Given Turks' centuries
of contentious history with Iran, we found it surprising that
Turkey apparently did not take a nuclear-armed Iran more
seriously. The comment elicited a reflective pause in the
conversation.

Media and Politics
--------------


4. (SBU) At an Iftar held on September 27 for contacts from
the media and public intellectuals, the Consul General noted
the deep ties between Turkey and the U.S., prompting guests
to recount positive experiences visiting the U.S. However,
discussion of current events including the PKK, Iraq and
Iran, led guests to underscore that U.S. standing in Turkey
is so low that urgent steps were necessary to begin to repair
the damage. Zaman Foreign News Editor Celil Sagir said that
though "informed Turks" still consider Turkey,s relationship
with the U.S. important, popular disillusionment with U.S.
foreign policy is a serious problem that should not be
dismissed as short-term. He said most Turks think the USG
does not care about the PKK threat to Turkey. Sagir
suggested that many believe Washington actively chooses not
to act against the PKK in northern Iraq because the USG sees

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Kurdish militant groups as an ally against Iran and a bulwark
against Sunni terrorism. He said capture of PKK leaders and
their removal to Turkey would lead to a drastic improvement
in the Turkish public,s views of the U.S. We pointed out
the extreme difficulty involved but guests thought that,
given the will, the USG could easily capture PKK leaders.


5. (SBU) "Yeni Safak" editor Metin Mutanoglu added that many
Turks are paying close attention to the anticipated
referendum on Kirkuk province,s status, viewing it as
another test-case for U.S.-Turkey relations. He cautioned
that if the USG "allows" Kirkuk,s incorporation into
semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Kirkuk,s minority Turkmen
population would be at risk, which would likely force Turkish
military intervention to protect them. And guests urged the
U.S. to pursue diplomacy with Iran, warning that military
action to stop the nuclear program would likely provoke Iran
into attacking U.S. interests in Iraq, Afghanistan, and
elsewhere, sowing instability in Iraq and the Gulf.
Journalists were surprised to learn of the extensive list of
incentives that the P5 1 had offered Iran in 2006 (e.g.,
peaceful nuclear energy cooperation, WTO membership,
hydrocarbon partnership with Europe, etc.) in exchange for a
suspension of its enrichment program. Sagir suggested that
the U.S. and the rest of the P5 1 are not doing enough to
highlight the economic benefits that have been offered to,
and rejected by, Iran.

Municipality and Visiting Trade Mission
--------------


6. (SBU) The Foreign Commercial Service sponsored our last
official Iftar of this season hosted by the CG on October 1.
Istanbul's Mayor, Kadir Topbas, attended the event that
brought together municipal officials and an environmental
technologies trade mission. Water issues dominated the
conversations anticipating Istanbul's hosting of the World
Water Forum in 2009 and reflecting immediate concern for the
drought in Turkey over the summer. Istanbul was spared
greater impact from the drought due to wise investment in
dams and water systems years ago as city population
increased. Mayor Topbas made a point of telling the Consul
General that the Prime Minister had passed the word to AKP
activists and politicians to do their best to improve
relations with the USG in a visible way. Topbas' statement
of this instruction cast light on why a couple of our
contacts seemed to trip over each other in helping to arrange
the consulate's iftar for AKP functionaries on September 25.
WIENER