ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH'S CALL ON PRESIDENT GUL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISTANBUL 000942 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL TU GR SUBJECT: ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH'S CALL ON PRESIDENT GUL AND OTHER GOT OFFICIALS REF: A. ISTANBUL 873 ¶B. 06 ISTANBUL 1711 ¶C. 06 ANKARA 6529 ISTANBUL 00000942 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Consul General Sharon A. Wiener for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Ecumenical Patriarch senior advisor Metropolitan Meliton recounted to us His All Holiness Bartholomew's recent calls in Ankara on President Gul and other GOT officials. Gul listened attentively but made no real response to the Patriarch's list of grievances. Government officials acknowledge constitutional restrictions on religious education present obstacles to re-opening Halki Seminary and the Speaker of Parliament suggested a potential work- around. The decrepit state of church properties expropriated by the General Directorate of Foundations seemed to elicit sympathy among all officials including the leader of the Republican People's Party, a steadfast opponent of advancing religious minority rights. Bartholomew places the utmost importance on a tte-Q-tte with PM Erdogan, something he has requested (but yet to confirm) in addition to meetings with other officials at the end of October. End summary. ¶2. (C) During an October 16 meeting, Ecumenical Patriarch senior advisor Metropolitan Meliton described to us the substance and tone of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's October 8 and 9 calls on President Gul, Speaker of Parliament Toptan, Minister of Culture and Tourism Gunay and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Baykal. Bartholomew visited Ankara to congratulate the new Government and express his concerns regarding GOT restrictions on the administration of the patriarchate. He has requested another round of Ankara meetings on October 30 and 31, to include calls on PM Erdogan, Chief of Defense Staff GEN Buyukanit, Foreign Minister Babacan and other cabinet members. To date, only Minister of Education Huseyin Celik has responded affirmatively. President Gul -------------- ¶3. (C) Meliton characterized Gul as being "very friendly, calm, serious and polite" during his 40 minute October 9 meeting with Bartholomew. He lamented however, the lack of engagement on the President's part, stating Gul listened carefully but gave few specific responses to the Patriarch's list of concerns, including re-opening Halki Seminary, election of his successor, visa status of foreign clergy and staff at the patriarchate, property rights, and problems related to Greek minority foundations. Regarding Halki Seminary, Gul noted he had discussed the issue with PM Erdogan in the past and though the Prime Minister wants to solve the problem, the Constitution doesn't permit its re-opening as a religious school. He further underscored that the government had previously proposed transferring the seminary to a university. Meliton noted Gul remained silent when Bartholomew subsequently pointed out the Lausanne Treaty gives minorities the right to operate schools for the needs of their communities and that it was a pity Halki was closed in 1971 when it had been allowed to function during the Ottoman Empire and throughout the first few decades of the modern republic. ¶4. (C) According to Meliton, upon hearing about the decrepit state of some church properties expropriated by the General Directorate of Foundations (GDF),Gul told Bartholomew it was a shame and that he wasn't aware of this problem. He qualified however, that he is no longer a "political man" and would convey this issue to PM Erdogan. Noting he had yet to receive a response to the forty-some letters he had written the government, the Patriarch replied he often feels like a second class citizen because he has no dialogue with officials. Gul, at this point, politely asked Bartholomew not to use the term "dialogue," remarking "we only have that with the United States, EU and other foreign countries." ¶5. (C) President Gul, on a number of occasions, referenced a conversation he had had with muftis from ISTANBUL 00000942 002.2 OF 003 Western Thrace (ref B) the day before his meeting with Bartholomew, recalled Meliton. Gul stressed he told the muftis they must be a bridge between two countries but at the same time be loyal to Greece. The President advised Bartholomew in a similar manner, suggesting the patriarchate must "create friendship, peace and cooperation between our two peoples." Speaker of Parliament Koksal Toptan -------------- ¶6. (C) Toptan, Meliton opined, appeared to be well versed in the problems of the patriarchate during his 30 minute October 8 meeting with Bartholomew. The Speaker said he had discussed the issue of Halki Seminary with PM Erdogan, who repeated the same sentiments he had expressed to Gul: he wants to solve the problem but constitutional restrictions on religious education present an obstacle. When Bartholomew pointed out the religious minority education rights granted in the Lausanne Treaty, Toptan suggested the patriarchate write to the president of the constitutional reform committee to propose that a reference to the Lausanne Treaty be included in the new constitution. This, he believed, would allow Halki Seminary to be re-opened. Meliton conveyed to us his intention to follow this advice. ¶7. (C) The Speaker expressed surprise and sympathy for the patriarchate regarding other issues, noting he could not understand why patriarchate foreign staff members were not granted permission to work in Turkey when he knew foreign clergy for other faiths receive such authority. He also did not comprehend why Turkish officials could not accept Bartholomew's proposal that potential foreign successors to the Patriarch be granted Turkish citizenship post-election. Regarding the draft Law on Foundations (ref C),Toptan argued it would be difficult to go beyond the changes incorporated in the existing draft because there were now four parties represented in parliament instead of two. However, "the General Directorate of Foundations must repair church properties," he asserted. Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay -------------- - ¶8. (C) Meliton described Gunay as the most polite of Bartholomew's Ankara interlocutors. The Ecumenical Patriarch asked the Minister of Culture and Tourism, during an October 9 meeting, for permission to celebrate the day of St. Nicholas in a church in Demre as his community had done for 25 years until authorities intervened in 2004 subsequent to the complaint of a nationalist activist. Bartholomew also repeated a request he had made six years ago to be granted permission to celebrate the liturgy in a Cappadocia church. Recognizing the minority communities as part of the Turkish mosaic, Gunay asked the Patriarch to write to him on both matters, and promised, "We will do our best." CHP Leader Deniz Baykal -------------- ¶9. (C) According to Meliton, Bartholomew enumerated all of the patriarchate's concerns to Baykal during their one-hour October 9 meeting and lamented the CHP's role in opposing the draft Law on Foundations. Baykal explained he understood the Patriarch's concerns and that the CHP's opposition was not directed at the patriarchate but rather at the Prime Minister who wants to turn Turkey into an Islamic country. He contended the GDF was not acting correctly however, and that it shouldn't be able to interfere in the administration of minority foundations. Baykal voiced his continued opposition to the re-opening of Halki Seminary and to the potential election of a foreign successor to the Patriarch, arguing that if Halki re-opens, Muslims would apply to open similar schools. He recognized the patriarchate had problems but countered minorities in Western Thrace had similar problems despite the fact that Greece is a member of the European Union. "If Turkey and Greece could have entered the EU together, all of these problems would be solved," Baykal asserted. ISTANBUL 00000942 003.2 OF 003 Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) It is clear that President Gul treaded a careful path vis-Q-vis Bartholomew, lending an attentive ear while avoiding commitments to push for reforms that could consume political capital necessary to promote higher priorities such as constitutional reform. While it is true he is no longer officially a "political man," his willingness to meet with Bartholomew is an important step in establishing a discourse - if not, "dialogue" - between the GOT and the patriarchate. A meeting with PM Erdogan is of prime importance to Bartholomew, who Meliton says remains hopeful for the eventual resolution of the patriarchate's problems. End comment. WIENER