TURKEY'S NEW CHOD: GENERAL ILKER BASBUG

S E C R E T ANKARA 001392

SIPDIS

EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2030
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PINR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S NEW CHOD: GENERAL ILKER BASBUG

REF: A. ANKARA 1167

B. ANKARA 1091

C. 05 ANKARA 607

Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary and comment: Turkish Land Forces Commander
General Ilker Basbug (pronounced BAHSH-boo) was named as
Turkey's next CHOD at the Turkey's Supreme Military Council
(YAS) that concluded on August 4 (full YAS results reported
septel). Despite some shifts in civil-military relations,
the CHOD is still one of Turkey's top policymakers. A
regular embassy contact since 2003 when he served as the
Deputy CHOD, Basbug is favorably disposed to the U.S. In his
capacity as DCHOD, Basbug was instrumental in overcoming
strained bilateral mil-to-mil relations in the aftermath of
the March 1, 2003 vote and the July 4, 2003 "hooding
incident." The change of leadership at TGS is unlikely to
lead to any significant policy shifts at TGS. Basbug appears
to understand the struggle against the PKK cannot be won by
military means alone and has expressed support for the
government's initiative to begin Kurdish language broadcasts
on state-run stations. While Basbug is a committed
secularist, media reporting suggests he is philosophically
opposed to military intervention in politics, a view
reportedly shaped by the events during and following the 1960
coup, when he was still a cadet in the military academy.
Basbug's "secret" meeting with a Constitutional Court judge
days before the filing of the closure case against the AKP
(ref a) suggests he might have had prior knowledge of the
case and provided at least tacit approval of it. Having
someone with Basbug's experience and understanding of the
U.S. and NATO as the CHOD should be beneficial for overall
bilateral relations. End Summary and comment.

A Superior Officer
--------------


2. (SBU) GEN Ilker Basbug is widely respected within the
military and has been an important contact of the embassy
since 2003, when he became Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
The son of migrants from Macedonia, like his predecessor GEN
Buyukanit, Basbug excelled in key assignments within TGS
(DCHOD),Land Forces Command (Land Forces Chief of Staff,
Commander of First Army, Land Forces Commander),NATO (Chief
of Logistics at SHAPE),and Turkey's National Security
Council (Deputy President of the Secretariat). Contacts who
have worked with and for Basbug said he is a good manager and
contrasted Basbug's willingness to trust his staff with
Buyukanit's reputation of relying on only a very select
circle of advisers. Thoughtful, direct and pragmatic, Basbug
has a realpolitik view of the world, emphasizing shared
interests more than shared values as the basis for
international cooperation. He is well-read and has excellent
recall of detail and factual information pertaining to his
brief.

Extensive Experience at NATO, in West
--------------


3. (SBU) A fluent English speaker, Basbug has extensive
experience in the west. He attended the British Royal
Military Academy as a major. He served in Belgium three
times: first as an intelligence planning officer at NATO,
then as a department head for logistics and infrastructure at
SHAPE, and finally as the senior Turkish National Military
Representative at SHAPE from 1993 to 1995. He also graduated
from the NATO Defense College in Rome.

Maintained Relations During Troubled Times
--------------


4. (C) During his tenure as DCHOD from 2003 to 2005, Basbug
was at the forefront of TGS efforts to restore mil-to-mil
relations following the March 1, 2003 vote (when the Turkish
parliament failed to obtain enough votes to grant passage of
U.S. troops to open a northern front against Iraq) and the
July 4, 2003 hooding incident (when U.S. forces detained and
hooded Turkish special forces in Suleymaniye, Iraq). In a
January 26, 2005 press conference, Basbug highlighted the
breadth and importance of the Turkish-American relationship,
which set the tone for subsequent statements by the military,
the bureaucracy and the government that helped put
U.S.-Turkish relations back on track. Basbug was also
instrumental in the establishment of the cargo hub at
Incirlik in 2005, and was a proponent for resuming the annual
High-Level Defense Group meeting in 2005 following a hiatus.



5. (C) Basbug's positive disposition toward the U.S.
notwithstanding, we expect policy differences on security and
defense matters to remain. The TGS will continue to take a
hard line with the Kurdistan Regional government on the PKK
and will carefully monitor developments in Kirkuk. The
Turkish military will continue to support NATO efforts in
Afghanistan, but remain unwilling to seek a change in
Turkey's caveats on the use of its forces in Afghanistan or
put combat troops into the south and east. It will continue
to be suspicious of U.S. efforts to play a more active role
in Black Sea security and will react strongly to Armenian
genocide resolutions. Contacts agree that the Turkish
military's policy positions rarely change. One retired
two-star army officer likened TGS to a mountain: "The snow
changes at the top from time to time, but the mountain itself
will not change."

Views on PKK
--------------


6. (S) Basbug has a realistic and pragmatic understanding of
the PKK challenge. As Land Forces Commander, Basbug
reaffirmed Buyukanit's acknowledgment that the ultimate
solution to the PKK problem is not a military one. Under
Basbug's leadership, the Turkish Land Forces have reportedly
made efforts to reach out to parents of those who joined the
PKK, urging them to convince their children to quit the
organization. In June 2008, he publicly expressed support
for a government initiative to begin Kurdish language
programming on state-run television to counter the influence
of ROJ TV (ref b). Although he strongly pressed the U.S. to
take action against the PKK throughout his tenure as DCHOD,
he also showed an appreciation for the multidimensional
nature of our bilateral military relationship, acknowledging
that the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey is
"long-lasting and comprehensive" and that it is "not wise to
tie our relationship to one problem (PKK). We can disagree in
some areas." (ref c).

Harder Views on Cyprus
--------------

7. (C) During a April 2008 visit to the "Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus," Basbug said in his public remarks, "There
must be a comprehensive, fair, and lasting solution under the
roof of the UN. The Cyprus issue is dependent on two basic
principles. One of them is our responsibility to ensure
security of Turkish Cypriots, and the other is that Cyprus
has a strategic role in regard to Turkey,s security." This
tough stance echoes the position he consistently took on
Cyprus during his tenure as DCHOD.

Views on Iran
--------------


8. (C) In June, Basbug raised eyebrows when he publicly
acknowledged that Turkish forces have coordinated
anti-PKK actions with Iran. We do not believe this indicates
any positive feelings on the part of Basbug for Iran, but
rather a simple statement regarding on-going coordination
along the Turkey-Iran border to stem terrorists crossings,
narcotics trafficking and other smuggling. He has expressed
concern, as have many other senior TGS officials, about the
threat Iran possess to Turkey. In his remarks at the
American-Turkish Council conference in 2005, Basbug made
clear, "Turkey can never welcome an Iran who possesses
nuclear weapons."

Views on Civilian-Military Relations
--------------

9. (C) The 1960 military coup took place shortly before
Basbug reported to the Turkish Military Academy in Ankara as
a new cadet, and reportedly left a deep impression on him. A
purge within the ranks of the military following the coup led
to the dismissal of over 5000 officers, including 235 of 260
flag officers. Even the cadets at the Academy experienced
the deep rifts within the military following the coup.
Basbug's class was told to go home until further notice on
February 22, 1961, after the commander of the academy was
sacked for opposing the restoration of civilian authority.
When Basbug returned to the academy, there was a change in
leadership and curriculum. The experience, according to
retired Major General Riza Kucukoglu, a friend of Basbug
since high school, led the cadets in Basbug's cohort to abhor
military intervention in politics; it was "almost like a
phobia."


10. (C) However, Basbug has spoken forcefully of the
military's role to defend Turkey's secular identity. At a
September 2006 speech to military academy cadets, he said,
"The Turkish Armed Forces have always defended and will
continue to defend the nation state, the unitary state, and
the secular state." In the same speech, he also warned of
the rising influence of "anti-secular forces." Basbug's
"secret meeting" with Constitutional Court Justice Paksut on
March 4 (ref a),just days before the chief prosecutor filed
the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP),suggests that he might have been given
foreknowledge of the case, and at least tacitly approved of
it.

Personal Information
--------------


11. (U) GEN Basbug is married to Sevil Basbug and they have
two children. His son Murat is pursuing a master's degree in
the U.S. Basbug is reportedly an aficionado of classical
music. He does not smoke. Acquaintances describe him as a
social drinker. He was born in Afyon in 1943, and graduated
from the same high school as two presidents (Demirel and
Sezer),and a CHOD (Ismail Hakki Karadagi).

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WILSON