TURKEY: SUPPORTS LEBANON, NOW AND ALWAYS, BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000237 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EUR/SE AND NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2018 TAGS: KDEM PGOV PREL PHUM EFIN EINV LE SY TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: SUPPORTS LEBANON, NOW AND ALWAYS, BUT DIFFERS ON APPROACH TO SARG REF: STATE 10786 Classified By: PolCouns Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) We conveyed reftel points on support for Lebanon February 8 to MFA Department Head for Middle East Kerem Kiratli and Lebanon/Syria Desk Officer Cem Ulusoy. Kiratli said he would convey the substance of the demarche to Deputy Under Secretary Sinirlioglu and Under Secretary Apakan. He emphasized the GOT's consistent support for PM Siniora's government in Lebanon and continued engagement in seeking a resolution to Lebanon's political crisis. ¶2. (C) Ulusoy said the GOT had already transferred $150,000 to the UN to support start-up costs of the Special Tribunal and would take under consideration the request to consider a pledge for support of the Tribunal's future operational costs. He noted the GOT had also put forward to the UN the names of two Turkish attorneys to participate on the Tribunal but had not yet received a response. The GOT, he added, has seconded a Turkish police official to the UN Independent Investigation Commission since its inception to assist with the investigation into the Hariri assassination. ¶3. (C) MFA officials had no comment on the possibility of Turkish economic assistance to Lebanon, but did note that provision of assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces in the form of training was under consideration. Ulusoy did not think material assistance to the LAF would be possible. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: While GOT political support for Siniora/March 14 will continue, the Turkish approach has been to seek to engage Damascus to ensure that any resolution to Lebanon's political crisis has Syrian support. In that context, public condemnation of the SARG and the negative role it plays in Lebanon is likely out of the question. Rather, the GOT will continue to speak with Asad and Damascus in strong terms privately, and seek to gain SARG support for the Arab League process. The GOT sees the Arab League process as the approach most likely to succeed. Its effort to encourage positive behavior by the SARG stands a better chance of success than continued attempts to isolate Damascus. We noted recent European engagement of the SARG had seemed to have just the opposite effect. END COMMENT. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON