Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ANKARA893
2009-06-24 14:24:00
SECRET
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

TURKEY: AMBASSADOR RAISES IRAN WITH FORMIN

Tags:  PREL AROC KNNP IAEA IR TU 
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VZCZCXRO7963
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHTRO
DE RUEHAK #0893 1751424
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 241424Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0018
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
S E C R E T ANKARA 000893 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2019
TAGS: PREL AROC KNNP IAEA IR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: AMBASSADOR RAISES IRAN WITH FORMIN

REF: A. UNVIE 300

B. ANKARA 878

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Jeffrey for reasons 1.4 (b,c)

S E C R E T ANKARA 000893

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2019
TAGS: PREL AROC KNNP IAEA IR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: AMBASSADOR RAISES IRAN WITH FORMIN

REF: A. UNVIE 300

B. ANKARA 878

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Jeffrey for reasons 1.4 (b,c)


1. (S) Ambassador raised Iran with FONMIN Davutoglu and MFA
U/S Apakan on the margins of a meeting February 23. Stating
that we was speaking on his own and without instructions,
Ambassador said that we was troubled by the Turkish statement
regarding Iran at the June 15 IAEA board meeting (ref A)
despite our imploring Apakan to take a tough position on the
Iranian nuclear issue. The Foreign Minister's statements on
Iran were also of concern (ref B).


2. (S) Ambassador noted that post-Iranian elections the Obama
administration was obviously carefully fine tuning its
position on Iran, and we know of Turkey's similar discomfort
trying to calibrate public statements, especially given
Turkey's status as a neighbor. But the problem was more
clear-cut with the Turkish statements in the IAEA.
Ambassador compared it unfavorably to the IAEA statement by
the Philippines, even though it was a NAM member. Ambassador
added that the Obama Administrations' approach on Iran was
very similar to the policies the Turks had long advocated to
us, but we needed their help on the pressing problems of
Iranian nukes.


3. (S) Davutoglu appeared nonplussed, said that his comments
about the unrest in Iran were off the cuff and taken out of
context, and called attention to a current Der Spiegel
article where he had stated bluntly that a nuclear Iran was
not acceptable. But then, building on the &keep bridges
open to Teheran8 theme we hear often here, he pointed out
with satisfaction that some European embassies in Teheran
(but not Turkey) had just had diplomats PNG'ed.


4. (S) Ambassador responded that Turkey as a recent democracy
itself should be careful about siding with an oppressive
regime rather than protesters, and another approach ) like
remaining silent ) could have worked better.

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

JEFFREY