TURKEY: PRIME MINISTER'S ALEVI ADVISOR RESIGNS

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001103

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2018

TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, OSCE, TU

SUBJECT: TURKEY: PRIME MINISTER'S ALEVI ADVISOR RESIGNS

REF: A. 07 ANKARA 3016

B. ANKARA 73

Classified By: A/Political Counselor Kelly Degnan, reasons 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) Summary and comment. Ruling Justice and Development

Party (AKP) MP Reha Camuroglu resigned June 11 from his

position as PM Erdogan's main advisor on Alevi affairs,

citing frustration with AKP's failure to improve conditions

for Turkey's Alevis, a heterogeneous group of approximately

10-15 million that traditionally support leftist parties. A

leading Alevi scholar believes Camuroglu was forced out by

AKP infighting. Alevi community leaders, many of whom view

Camuroglu as an opportunist and boycotted the PM-hosted iftar

for Alevis he organized in January, used Camuroglu's

resignation to reiterate warnings that AKP's Alevi outreach

is insincere. Camuroglu's departure likely marks the

shelving of AKP plans for Alevi outreach for some time.

Focused on holding AKP together in the face of the party's

possible closure, PM Erdogan is unlikely to risk alienating

AKP's conservative Sunni base by reaching out to the

predominately secular, leftist Alevis. End summary and

comment.

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AKP's Alevi Advisor Resigns

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2. (SBU) AKP MP Reha Camuroglu, an Alevi considered to be the

primary architect of AKP's Alevi policies, resigned June 11

from his post as PM Erdogan's advisor. Camuroglu remains an

MP and has said he is not leaving AKP. Erdogan brought

Camuroglu into the party before the July 2007 parliamentary

elections as part of his effort to broaden AKP's base and

give it a more centrist look. Turkish media report Camuroglu

told Erdogan AKP has not kept promises made to better the

situation of Turkey's Alevis following July elections. His

resignation letter reportedly stated, "We wanted the

discrimination against Alevis to end. Did it? How many

Alevis have high level positions in the bureaucracy or are

among the governors? Is there just one Alevi governor? Is

that enough? What about the police commissioners? And

during the AKP's six-year rule, how many Alevi investors have

won tenders? Maybe there are none."

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AKP's Failed Alevi Outreach Campaign

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3. (U) Turkey's estimated 10-15 million Alevis have several

long-standing disputes with the GOT, including assessments of

the community's size, which the GOT asserts is seven million.

Far from a cohesive group, Alevis hold diverse opinions

concerning religious identity. The government considers

Alevism to be a heterodox Muslim sect. Most Alevis, however,

view their faith as distinct from Sunni or Shia Islam. Their

most pressing demands are equal treatment in public school

religion courses and in the allocation of government

resources for the construction and administration of Alevi

gathering places (cem evi).

4. (SBU) Camuroglu had the lead in coordinating AKP's Alevi

outreach efforts. Last December, he described to us plans to

establish a new institution that would finance and oversee

construction of cem evis, payment of Dedes (Alevi religious

leaders) and construction of a Dede training school; reform

the high school curriculum on religious education to include

more accurate information on Alevi's' beliefs; and air TV and

radio programs showcasing Alevi culture (ref A). The PM

would launch the campaign at a January 11 iftar where he

would host 500 Alevis on the occasion of Muharrem, the Alevi

month of mourning, he said.

5. (SBU) The iftar rollout was a disaster. Turkey's main

Alevi organizations boycotted the event, which they saw as

"Sunni-centric" and aimed at assimilating Alevis into

mainstream Sunni society. They threatened to take the

extraordinary step of "ostracizing" from the community any

Alevi participants (ref B). Though 800 guests reportedly

attended, the majority were AKP deputies rather than Alevis.

Erdogan's promise "not to remain indifferent" to Alevis'

demands was undercut by his claim that he hadn't heard their

oft-repeated requests for more equitable treatment.

Camuroglu made no progress on the outreach campaign following

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the iftar.

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Possible Infighting Among AKP's Alevis

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6. (C) One of Turkey's foremost Alevi experts, METU Professor

Aykan Erdemir, told us he suspects two factors led to

Camuroglu's resignation: he felt pressure to resign after the

Alevi iftar "failed miserably", and he was caught up in an

internal power struggle among AKP's three Alevi MPs. Erdemir

explained that Husein Tugcu, an AKP founding member and an

Alevi known for converting many Alevis to Sunnism or a more

conservative form of Alevism, expected to be in charge of

Alevi issues and resented Camuroglu's stepping into the

limelight. Ibrahim Yigit, another Alevi AKP MP, also likely

resented Camuroglu's role, Erdemir said. Erdemir doubts

Tugcu or Yigit are willing to push the Alevi agenda.

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Alevi Leaders Question Camuroglu's Integrity

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7. (SBU) Alevi community leaders, who have repeatedly told us

they view Camuroglu as an "opportunist" more interested in

self-promotion than improving the situation of Alevis,

criticized Camuroglu for remaining in the AKP. Cem

Foundation President Izzettin Dogan said, "He told the Alevi

community that the AKP had changed. Now after admitting it

did not, his decision to remain within the AKP ranks is a

contradiction of his statements." Alevi Bektasi Federation

President Ali Balkiz said Camuroglu had finally seen the

"real face" of AKP, a party that wants democracy for itself

only and uses freedom of religion to mask its true ambitions.

Pir Sultan Association President Fevzi Gumus said they

warned Camuroglu that AKP is not sincere in its claims of

tolerance.

8. (SBU) Alevi leaders insist AKP is pursuing an Islamic

agenda in an attempt to assimilate Alevis. Balkiz told the

press, "The AKP is an Islam-based party that has two

sensitive spots, Alevis and women." Balkiz said the PM had

ignored his organization's petition asking the government to

comply with a European Court of Human Rights decision and

change the content of compulsory religious courses in high

school, which teach a Sunni version of Islam. Gumus noted

that mosque construction in Alevi villages has resumed with

greater speed since AKP took power. Our Alevi contacts

insist the AKP government is wasting resources by building

mosques and sending imams to poor Alevi villages where no one

is interested in going to Sunni prayers. According to Gumus,

"It is clear that the AKP only cares about freedom of

religious beliefs when it concerns headscarf wearing."

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at

http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey

WILSON

TURKEY: PRIME MINISTER'S ALEVI ADVISOR RESIGNS

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