TURKISH CYPRIOT REACTIONS TO PKK VIOLENCE: FROM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NICOSIA 000862 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV CY TU SUBJECT: TURKISH CYPRIOT REACTIONS TO PKK VIOLENCE: FROM OUTRAGE TO OUTRAGEOUS Classified By: Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher for reasons 1.4(a) 1.4(d) . ¶1. (C) Summary: Turkish Cypriot responses to the recent PKK raids in Turkey run the gamut from outrage to outrageous. All major political parties -- including "government" leaders -- issued statements condemning the attacks and voicing solidarity with Ankara, while public demonstrations were held in major cities in the Turkish Cypriot-administered area. Both leftists and rightists used the opportunity to spout vitriol at the United States and, in one case, an Embassy Nicosia political officer. Chief critics included former "TRNC President" Rauf Denktash and the ultra-nationalist daily "Volkan," which ran a series of front-page "exposes" concerning the Embassy official's "nefarious" activities. "Government" statements were measured, however, and officials privately told us that incidents in Turkey would not hurt U.S.-T/C relations. Another PKK-focused demonstration in northern Nicosia is scheduled for November 2. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) All major T/C political parties, as well as trade unions and civil society organizations, issued statements condemning recent PKK attacks in Turkey. "TRNC President" Mehmet Ali Talat offered condolences and solidarity in a letter to the chief of the Turkish General Staff, while "Prime Minister" Ferdi Soyer condemned the PKK actions on the floor of the T/C "parliament." Main opposition National Unity Party (UBP) head Tahsin Ertugruloglu adopted a more nationalist, borderline-paranoid stance, claiming that "the game being played is to create satellite states by tearing Turkey apart." Similarly, the T/C Teachers Trade Union charged that the U.S. was "supporting and financing terror for oil," a common theme on both the left and right here. ¶3. (SBU) Organized demonstrations occurred October 22 - 24 in northern Nicosia, Kyrenia, and Famagusta, with reports of turnout varying from 1,000 - 5,000. Participants, according to press reports, included university students and civil society and trade union members. Flashy placards at the October 24 rally in Nicosia boasted slogans such as "Damn the PKK," "Shoulder to Shoulder, TRNC/Turkey," and "Martyrs Don,t Die, the Fatherland will not be Divided." Many protesters made hand gestures associated with the far-right National Action Party (MHP) in Turkey. Former "TRNC President" Rauf Denktash, who spoke at the Nicosia rally, called on the U.S. to end its game of "trying to break up Turkey and seize oil with the help of its Iraqi puppets." Democrat Party (DP) activists in Kyrenia voiced similar opinions in a meeting the day of the Nicosia rally. ¶4. (C) "Officials" from the "governing" Republican Turkish Party (CTP) dismissed the demonstrations as largely the work of "settlers from Turkey and students." Asim Akansoy, a close Talat adviser, told us on October 26 that events in Turkey would not hurt T/C-U.S. relations. CTP Kyrenia Mayor Sumer Aygin said the same on October 23. Daily newspaper "Yeni Duzen," the CTP mouthpiece, shunted coverage of the Nicosia demonstration to Page 7 and cast it in a negative light, publishing photos of women in headscarves and angry young men flouting far-right symbols and gestures. ¶5. (C) Coverage of the demonstrations in other major papers was largely factual, with the exception of ultra-nationalist &Volkan,8 which ran a blood-red banner headline in its October 25 edition, screaming "Damn the PKK; Damn the USA." Volkan, which is reported to have "Deep State" connections and financing, earlier had run a series of front-page articles against an Embassy Nicosia political officer. The paper charged him with "bribing" local politicians to curry support for a party seen as close to AKP, and with "organizing" PKK supporters. No other T/C paper has picked up the story, however. ¶6. (C) Comment: We expect far-right and "Deep State" forces to continue to stir the Turkish Cypriot pot over the near-future. Turkish "Republican Day" (October 29),which is also celebrated in the "TRNC," will give the military and others ample opportunity to pump up nationalist ardor further, for example. Another demonstration will follow on November 2, this time sponsored by the "Talat Pasha Committee," a hawkish group of former Turkish ambassadors, bureaucrats, and politicians founded by Rauf Denktash. Nevertheless, barring another major PKK attack in Turkey or a controversy with clear (and negatively perceived) U.S. involvement -- such as the 2003 arrest of Turkish special forces by U.S. troops in Iraq -- we expect the latest outbreak of T/C nationalism to dissipate fairly soon. End NICOSIA 00000862 002 OF 002 Comment. SCHLICHER SCHLICHER