TURKEY/IRAQ SITREP 2: GROUND OPERATION CONTINUES,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000340

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2028
TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR PTER TU IZ
SUBJECT: TURKEY/IRAQ SITREP 2: GROUND OPERATION CONTINUES,
LOCAL REACTIONS

REF: ANKARA 0331

Classified By: A/DCM Kim DeBlauw for reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) Turkish ground operations inside of northern Iraq
continue. According to press reporting, the Turkish ground
units involved are two brigades from the Second Army based in
Malatya. U.S. military logistics personnel at the Habur Gate
crossing between Turkey and Iraq reported traffic flowing
normally on February 22, despite some press reports that the
crossing is severely restricted or even closed to civilian
traffic.


2. (U) NTV reports that the Presidency issued a statement
saying that President Gul talked to Iraqi President Talabani
by phone. Gul gave Talabani information about the operation
against the PKK, briefed him about the NSC decisions and
invited him to Turkey. Talabani reportedly has accepted the
invitation. PM Erdogan is quoted widely as stating that the
PKK is the only target of the operation. Parliament Speaker
Toptan, referring to the operation, stated that the Turkish
Armed Forces have always fulfilled their duties successfully
and they will continue to do so. NTV claims that 10,000
troops are involved and that the operation had penetrated the
Hakurk region to a depth of ten kilometers into Iraqi
territory. It reports the TGS as stating, "as soon as we
have attained our goals, we will pull out in the shortest
time possible."


3. (U) With respect to claims that Habur Gate has been closed
to truck traffic, State Minister Yazici responded that it is
not closed; priority is being given to military vehicles.
U.S. military personnel at Habur report normal traffic flows
on February 22. A number of channels are reporting that a US
State Department official said, "This is not good news; it
has reached a new stage." They also report that a US Army
spokesperson said the U.S. supports Turkey's right to defend
itself.


4. (U) Turkish press reports that Kurdish Regional Government
president Masoud Barzani is on his way to the border area and
quotes KDP official Safeen Dizayee as stating that Kurdish
peshmerga have been ordered not to interfere with Turkish
troops.


5. (C) Yilmaz Akinci, a journalist from Diyarbakir, told
Consulate Adana that the situation is calm in that largely
Kurdish city in southeastern Turkey. He speculated that the
Turkish operation has taken PKK sympathizers in the region by
surprise and surmised that the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society
Party (DTP) is waiting to see the extent and duration of the
cross border operation before deciding on its response.
Serdar Sengul, an aide to the Kurdish mayor of Diyarbakir,
told Consulate Adana that Kurds in the region are concerned
that the offensive signals a shift in Turkish, and U.S.,
policy towards the Kurdish issue, treating it as an
exclusively military problem. He said Kurds are skeptical
that the target is only the PKK and not the Kurdistan
Regional Government. Mehmet Celal Baykara, president of a
Kurdish cultural group in Istanbul, told ConGen Istanbul that
Kurds do not look warmly at the military operation and
suspect it is aimed at Masoud Barzani and not just PKK
terrorists.


6. (U) Opposition reactions have been predictable.
Republican People's Party (CHP) head Deniz Baykal
characterized the operation as a new, positive stage which
should continue until it has achieved its goals. The leader
of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP),Devlet Bahceli, has
welcomed the operation and stated that, insted of being
temporary, it should lead to a permanent security zone in
Iraq.

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

WILSON