TURKEY-AU SUMMIT OVERSHADOWED BY BASHIR'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001550

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV XA TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY-AU SUMMIT OVERSHADOWED BY BASHIR'S
PARTICIPATION

REF: A. ANKARA 148

B. ANKARA 953

C. ANKARA 1307

D. ANKARA 1364

E. ANKARA 1384

Classified By: POL Counselor Daniel O'Grady, for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: The GOT-hosted Turkey-African Union (AU)
Cooperation Summit, August 18-21, rendered no surprises.
During the sessions, the GOT focused on developing good will,
expanding trade ties, and lobbying for African support of
Turkey's UNSC bid. Overall, the GOT was pleased with both
attendance and the resulting summit documents outlining
future engagement. On the margins, President Gul held 49
bilateral meetings with African leaders, including Sudanese
President Bashir. The Turkish press, human rights groups,
and opposition parties aggressively criticized the GOT for
providing Bashir a platform one month after his International
Criminal Court (ICC) indictment. End Summary.


2. (C) The GOT hosted delegations from 48 AU member nations,
Morocco, and thirteen international organizations at the
Turkey-Africa Union Cooperation Summit in Istanbul, August
18-21, MFA Africa Section Chief Aykut Kumbaroglu told us.
(Note: Mozambique, Swaziland, Liberia, Western Sahara, and
Lesotho did not attend. The GOT does not recognize Western
Sahara.) Despite strong GOT pressure on African nations to
send highest-level representation, six heads-of-government
represented the AU, as initially proposed by the
organization. In addition, Sudanese President Bashir and
Moroccan PM el Fassi independently joined the Summit. In
total, six presidents, five vice presidents, seven prime
ministers, one deputy minister, 14 foreign ministers, and 12
other ministers attended, said Kumbaroglu, adding the GOT was
pleased with participation levels.

3. (SBU) While the August 18 senior officials and foreign
ministers meetings were light on substance, the summit
communiqu and the cooperation framework document established
parameters for future Turkish-African engagement. Per the
declaration, the GOT will host additional summits every five
years, with an undefined high-level 2010 meeting to occur in
Africa. The cooperation framework document established nine
areas for the GOT to work with the AU: intergovernmental
cooperation; trade and investment; agriculture, agribusiness,
rural development, water resource management, and small to
medium sized enterprises (SME); health; peace and security;
infrastructure, energy, and transport; culture, tourism, and
education; media and information and communication
technology; and the environment. Both documents can be found
on the Summit webpage (http://africa.mfa.gov.tr).

4. (SBU) Kumbaroglu reported President Gul held 49 bilats on
the margins, including a highly controversial meeting with
Sudanese President Bashir. In addition, the GOT signed two
bilateral agreements: a trade and economic cooperation
agreement with the Angolan Government and an aviation
agreement with the Senegalese Government. In a private
tte--tte, the media reported Gul requested Bashir's
assistance in facilitating Turkish firms' investments in
Sudan, specifically in the energy sector, and pledged
additional Turkish assistance with health issues there (ref
a).

5. (SBU) Bashir's participation drew swift criticism from the
Turkish press and human right groups, which attacked the GOT
for being the first government to receive the Sudanese
President after his July 14 ICC indictment. During a press
conference at his hotel, Bashir dismissed the charges of
genocide, pointing to the absence of graves as evidence of
his innocence. He rejected ICC legal jurisdiction, asserted
Sudanese law is based on Sharia principles, and said Sudan
would never surrender any citizen to the ICC. Bashir also
claimed that he was charged because he opposes the "U.S.
occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq." With the notable
exception of the Islamist press, the Turkish media focused
almost exclusively on Bashir, acknowledging the Summit only
as backdrop. Many journalists gave particular focus to
President Gul's conciliatory statements regarding Sudan and
his decision to refer to Darfur as a "tragedy" instead of a
genocide or atrocity. Reflecting the public's ire,
opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Ahmet Ersin
submitted a questionary motion to the Parliamentary Speaker

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demanding PM Erdogan and President Gul explain why the GOT
has twice invited Bashir to Turkey in the last year, adding
that such an action "disturbs the image of the country."

6. (SBU) The Turkish private sector held two Africa-related
conferences parallel to the Summit. Jointly organized by the
Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB)
and the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK),
the Turkish-African Business Forum in Istanbul examined
economic cooperation opportunities and established a
Turkey-Africa Chamber of Commerce (ref b). In addition to
the Union of African Chambers of Commerce, Industry,
Agriculture and Professions (UACCIAP),businessmen from 29
African nations participated in the conference. One week
prior, the think-tank Turkish Asian Center for Strategic
Studies (TASAM) hosted the Turkish-African Civil Societies
Forum, also in Istanbul. Over 90 African and 85 Turkish
groups affirmed a declaration calling for enhanced
cooperation in the areas of gender-neutral economic
development, trade, education and health, democratization,
human rights, good governance, tourism, the environment,
science and technology, energy, youth and the family, and
peace and stability.

7. (C) Comment: The Turkey-AU Cooperation Summit represents
the last big push in the GOT's efforts to woo African support
for it 2008-2010 UNSC seat bid. Nevertheless, after the
October vote has come and gone, Turkey's increasing business
ties to the continent will mandate some level of sustained
GOT engagement. Turkish Muslim-oriented SME owners and
organizations such as the Turkish Confederation of
Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) are reportedly
putting heavy pressure on the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP),which derives a notable level of financial
support from these businessmen, to develop a robust African
foreign policy to address their commercial and expatriate
concerns.

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

WILSON