DELIVERY OF DEMARCHE ON KURDISTAN WORKERS PARTY

S E C R E T USEU BRUSSELS 003080 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT, INL/FO, INL/PC, EUR/ERA, L/LEI; JUSTICE FOR CRIMINAL DIVISION, OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS; HOMELAND SECURITY FOR OFFI CE OF POLICY E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2007 TAGS: PTER KCRM PGOV PREL SNAR EU SUBJECT: DELIVERY OF DEMARCHE ON KURDISTAN WORKERS PARTY REF: SECSTATE 134271 (NOTAL) Classified By: INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS COUN SELOR JAMES P. MCANULTY FOR REASONS IN SECTIONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (S) Mission International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Counselor, accompanied by Justice Department Senior Counsel and Department of Homland Security Attache, delivered the demarche on combating terrorism by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to newly-appointed Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles De Kerchove at the Council Secretariat on October 4. INL Counselor noted that the U.S. Government had already raised the release and escape of PKK Chief Financial Officer Riza Altun at an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in July. He asked De Kerchove to look into the circumstances in his new capacity, emphasizing that this incident had demonstrated that counter-terrorism coordination, at least among some EU Member States, required improvement. ¶2. (S) De Kerchove had not heard of the incident earlier, even in his prior capacity as Council Director for Justice and Home Affairs. He inquired about which Member States had been involved. INL Counselor mentioned Austria and France. De Kerchove promised to consult with colleagues in these Member States to determine why the PKK leader had been allowed to escape back to Iraq. ¶3. (SBU) INL Counselor left a non-paper with De Kerchove that drew upon the text of talking points from paragraph five of REFTEL. Mission will report on any further, significant developments that we hear on this issue. GRAY .