TURKEY: PROTESTS CALM AND AKP PUSHES ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001800 SIPDIS BAGHDAD PLEASE PASS TO RRT ERBIL E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2019 TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL TU IZ SUBJECT: TURKEY: PROTESTS CALM AND AKP PUSHES ON REF: A. ANKARA 1792 ¶B. ANKARA 1971 ¶C. ANKARA 1782 Classified By: POL Counselor Daniel O'Grady for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. In separate events on December 17, PM Erdogan and Interior Minister Atalay stressed the government's resolve to continue with its National Unity Project. Atalay cited two goals for the Project: eliminate terrorism and elevate democratic standards across the country. Protests across the country have calmed down and there were no recent reports of significant violence. The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) announced that it would meet December 18 to decide the future of the party, but stressed that they would follow the same tradition of the now-banned Democratic Society Party (DTP). DTP announced that its 19 remaining MPs would submit their resignations to the parliament Speaker on December 18, but few analysts expect Parliament to accept them. END SUMMARY. Trying to Eliminate Terrorism -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In separate events on December 17, PM Erdogan and Interior Minister Atalay stressed the government's resolve to continue with its National Unity Project. PM Erdogan spoke in the city of Konya, stressing that terrorism could not be fought with security forces only, but that the government needed to eliminate the root causes of terrorism. He declared that the government would continue with its National Unity Project and complained that the opposition parties are trying to undermine the process. Atalay explained to reporters on December 17 that the primary aim of the government's project is to eliminate terrorism and cited the upcoming trilateral meetings with Iraq as a key opportunity toward this goal. He also announced that the AKP would try and push through the draft law to establish a "Public Order and Security Secretariat." The Secretariat would employ less than 100 people, he claimed, and would be responsible for coordination of the National Unity Project. Atalay indicated that a secondary goal of the Project is to elevate democratic standards so that all ideas could be expressed freely. He claimed that the AKP is ready to look at reforming the Constitution to make it harder for the courts to close political parties, but said that such changes would require parliamentary consensus. Back to the Parliament? -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Protests across the country had calmed down substantially on December 17. While small protests still occurred in the Southeast, former DTP members and government officials called on protestors to stop the violence. However, the KCK, the political wing of the PKK, called on protests to continue, to criticize the closure of the DTP. ¶4. (SBU) Former DTP co-chairman Ahmet Turk announced on December 17 that the 19 remaining MPs from the party will submit their resignations to Parliament Speaker Sahin on December 18. Although opposition leaders indicated that they will vote to accept the resignations, it was unclear whether AKP MPs would do so. (Note: A simple majority of the parliament must vote to accept the resignations of the MPs in order for them to leave office. End Note.) Turk also stated that party supporters wanted the MPs to remain in parliament. However, former DTP MP Selahattin Demirtas gave a list of prerequisites for the return of the MPs to parliament, such as changing the constitution to prevent party closure, and protecting the freedom of expression. Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) Despite howls from the opposition and evident misgivings from some AKP quarters, the government insists it will continue to move forward on its National Unity Project at all costs. One pundit provided the apt analogy of PM ANKARA 00001800 002 OF 002 Erdogan as a man on a bicycle: he has to keep peddling or he will fall off. The MoI looks to the upcoming tri-lateral meetings in Iraq as a way forward, but this hinges on gaining a more vigorous show of support from the KRG. While it is promising that violence seems to have abated, it could flare up again quickly if the PKK proves determined to sideline Kurdish moderates. JEFFREY "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"