TURKEY: SUDANESE PRESIDENT'S VISITS GARNERS HARSH

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2016
TAGS: PREL TU SU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: SUDANESE PRESIDENT'S VISITS GARNERS HARSH
PUBLIC CRITICISM

REF: FIERST/MOORE 1/18/08 E-MAIL

Classified By: PolCouns Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Sudanese President Bashir met with President
Gul and Energy Minister Guler during his controversial
January 21 trip to Ankara. President Gul urged Sudan to
cooperate with the international community to find a solution
to Darfur, pushing Bashir to make the United Nations-African
Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) work and to stop isolating
himself and his government. The Turkish press openly
criticized the GOT and Gul,s decision to host Bashir and
scrutinized every aspect of the visit. While the Gul (and
the GOT) appears to be testing how best to use his influence
on the regional stage to play a helpful role in nudging
problems toward better solutions, all were fully unprepared
for the scale of Turkish and international ire. End Summary.


2. (C) Turkish Presidency/PM foreign affairs advisor
Davutoglu briefed Ambassador January 22 on the Bashir visit.
Per ref e-mail, Ambassador had been in touch with Davutoglu
in advance of the talks to raise USG concerns about the
appropriateness of receiving Bashir, and to pass on two
suggestions. First, that Turkey urge Sudan to cooperate with
the UNAMID force deployment, which Khartoum has been severely
impeding through its actions on the ground. Second, that
Turkey urge the Sudanese to ensure that the 2009 elections
provided for under the Comprehensive Peace Accords (CPA)
occur successfully, that planning for them go forward now,
and that the CPA be successfully implemented. Ambassador
also reminded Davutoglu of a suggestion by then-Deputy
Secretary Zoellick to PM Erdogan at Sharm el-Sheikh in 2006

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that Turkey consider participating in the UN peacekeeping
mission in Sudan.

GUL TELLS BASHIR TO WORK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY


3. (C) Davutoglu reported there was no discussion of Turkish
peacekeeper for UNAMID, but that President Gul made the
broader points that we suggested. The Sudanese leader
disclaimed any interference in UNAMID's deployment and argued
that Khartoum is cooperating fully with both the African
Union (AU) and UN. Any problems, he suggested, stem from the
government's insistence on sovereignty over Sudanese
territory. Gul pushed back and urged Bashir to make UNAMID
work and to stop isolating himself and his government.


4. (C) Regarding the CPA, the Sudanese reiterated a general
commitment to the accords' success, according to Davutoglu.
The Turks suggested opening a consulate in the southern
capital of Juba, to which Bashir assented. Davutoglu also
claimed that Ankara is prepared to consider another consulate
in Darfur. The latter, he said, would give Turkey ground
truth and insight into complex Darfur politics, which he
argued his leaders must have before they could seriously
consider offering peacekeeping troops for UNAMID. Davutoglu
stated that a small number of Turkish logistics staff
officers have recently been deployed in support of the AU
mission and that delivery of Turkey's humanitarian aid is
proceeding apace.


5. (C) In public remarks, Gul called for a solution to Darfur
through peaceful means within the framework of Sudanese
sovereignty and territorial integrity. Davutoglu said that
Turkish leaders in person were much tougher, trying in a
friendly way to put Bashir on the spot and make clear the
need to change course. Gul suggested that Bashir develop a
five-year plan for development and reconciliation in Darfur
that would take into account the region's complicated water
and migration history.

BASHIR VISIT SPARKS UNFORESEEN CONTROVERSY


6. (SBU) The Turkish media scrutinized every aspect of the
Bashir visit, characterizing him as the world's "bloodiest
dictator" and "most controversial figure." The press labeled
his failure to follow established protocol during the
traditional head-of-state visit to the founder of modern
Turkey Kemal Ataturk's mausoleum a "diplomatic scandal."
President Gul drew criticism as well for choosing to host
Bashir and his covered wife at the Presidential Palace. Many

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mainstream newspaper columnists capitalized on the visit to
challenge the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP)
foreign policy agenda; comparing Turkey's engagement with
Sudan to that with Hamas and other pariah nations Syria and
Iran. "Vatan" writer Gungor Mengi questioned whether the AKP
and President Gul were basing their support for Bashir on
mutually shared views of "fundamentalism" and Sharia law.


7. (C) MFA Africa Section Chief Aykut Kumaroglu defended the
GOT decision, arguing Bashir is the leader of a legitimate
government in the largest country in Africa. He underscored
the GOT belief that engagement is essential to changing the
behavior of rogue regimes. Kumaroglu admitted that previous
presidents had rejected Bashir's requests; President Gul had
"made the political decision" to allow him to come.
Humanitarianism aside, economics played a factor as well.
While in Ankara, Bashir received a full briefing from Energy
Minister Guler on Turkey's energy sector capabilities.

COMMENT


8. (C) The Turks appear to be testing how to use President
Gul's influence on the regional stage to play a helpful role
in nudging problems toward solutions. Though well intended,
the Bashir visit is the latest in a series of GOT engagement
efforts that have garnered criticism at home and abroad.
Kumaroglu told us the Turkish Embassy in Washington was
totally unprepared for the number of "friends of Turkey" who
expressed their concern. Both GOT and Gul will have heard
the clamor. Had not Greek PM Karamanlis' visit drawn public
attention from Bashir, the debate over Turkey's foreign
policy would likely have continued. End Comment.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey

WILSON