MFA UNDERSECRETARY: BARAK VISIT A SUCCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000108 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2020 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR TU SUBJECT: MFA UNDERSECRETARY: BARAK VISIT A SUCCESS REF: A. ANKARA 58 ¶B. ANKARA 89 Classified By: Ambassador James Jeffrey, for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. SUMMARY. In a wide-ranging discussion with the Ambassador January 18, MFA Undersecretary Sinirlioglu: -- was upbeat on Turkey-Israel relations after the January 17 visit by Israel Defense Minister Barak; -- noted that Barak was not optimistic on deterring Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but sees Iran's goal as regional hegemony rather than targeting Israel; -- lamented as "unacceptable" the recent ruling by the Armenian Constitutional Court on the Turkey-Armenia Protocols; -- urged that the US and EU issue statements opposing Iraq's recent banning of Sunni politicians; -- reported that India will not be invited to the January 26 Afghanistan regional summit in Istanbul. END SUMMARY. Turkey-Israel -------------- ¶2. (C) Sinirlioglu said January 17 discussions with visiting Israeli Defense Minister Barak had been excellent, and would contribute to an improved relationship. "For the first time, they apologized" for their treatment of the Turkish ambassador in Jerusalem. The Ambassador pressed for specifics on the visit. Sinirlioglu said Barak indicated the Israelis would soon open up Gaza for humanitarian aid, in particular in the construction field. It would let in aid workers without conditions. Still, Sinirlioglu said his expectations were "not high," but he understood that Barak would make an effort. Barak understood the importance of the Turkey-Israel "strategic alliance" on broader issues. ¶3. (C) On Iran, Barak was not optimistic. He believed Tehran would do whatever it could to conclude its nuclear program. He did not expect diplomacy to work. Still, he did not see this as Israel's problem. He did not believe Israel would be the target. Tehran's objective is hegemony in the region. The real danger is proliferation. As more regimes acquire nuclear capability, the risk increases that nuclear weapons will fall into the hands of terrorist groups. Sinirlioglu said Ankara "again" made clear to Barak that it does not want a nuclear Iran. (COMMENT: Readouts we have from the Israelis here (SEPTEL) and from Tel Aviv modify somewhat the above. Sinirlioglu was too optimisitc on several points.) ¶4. (C) Sinirlioglu said Barak indicated he favors the renewal of Turkey's mediation role between Israel and Syria. Armenia -------------- ¶5. (C) Sinirlioglu spoke at some length about the recent decision by the Armenian Constitutional Court regarding the Turkey-Armenia Protocols. This decision suggests that Yerevan cannot proceed, he said. It sets a number of preconditions which are "unacceptable." Specifically, Sinirlioglu claimed, paragraph 5 of the Court's decision stipulates that the Protocols cannot be applied in a way that would contradict the preamble of the Armenian Constitution and paragraph 11 of the Armenian Declaration of Independence -- both of which refer to the need for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. ¶6. (C) Sinirlioglu said the MFA views this as a "serious development" and planned to issue a statement emphasizing that the Court's ruling contradicts the "letter and spirit of the Protocols." If interpreted as the Court seems to insist, he said, it would be "unacceptable." He pointed out that the Court ruling also refers to "western Armenia," which suggests that Yerevan has aspirations toward part of Turkey. He said Ankara remains committed to both the letter and spirit of the Protocols, and hopes that Yerevan will change its position. He planned to call EUR A/S Gordon. FM Davutoglu planned to telephone the Secretary and the Swiss foreign minister. ANKARA 00000108 002 OF 002 Nagorno-Karabakh -------------- ¶7. (C) The Ambassador informed Sinirlioglu that the Secretary is committed to another round of actions to encourage movement on Nagorno-Karabakh. Deputy Secretary Steinberg would soon visit the region. Meanwhile, OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair Bradtke would visit Ankara on January 28. Cyprus -------------- ¶8. (C) The Ambassador said Washington is closely following the Cyprus talks, and appreciated the flexibility shown by the Turkish Cypriot side with its cross-voting proposal, without commenting on its substance. He encouraged Sinirlioglu to continue being creative and forward-leaning. In particular, he noted, anything Ankara can do to indicate its readiness to resolve the international aspects of the Cyprus problem would be helpful. Iraq -------------- ¶9. (C) Sinirlioglu expressed concern about the banning of Saleh Mutlaq, and said Turkey also understands that more Sunnis could be banned, which could lead to the Sunnis being excluded from the election process. He said Ankara hopes the USG and EU will issue statements about the need for the elections to be inclusive. "If you're inactive or just watching, you'll help those trying to undermine the elections," he said. Afghanistan -------------- ¶10. (C) The Ambassador said SRAP Holbrooke has been pleased with the extent of US-Turkey cooperation on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Sinirlioglu reported that the Indians would not be invited to the January 26 regional summit on Afghanistan, because the summit was a Pakistani initiative and therefore such a move required Pakistani consent, which was not forthcoming. India has been informed by the Turks. He noted that the Fourth Trilateral (AF-PAK-TU) Summit would take place on January 25, and that the chiefs of intelligence of all three countries also would meet that day. Meanwhile, Education Ministers from these countries would meet on January 19. Sinilioglu noted that Turkey is "not happy" with the Karzai government's performance, and would tell him so at the Trilateral. Copenhagen, Internet -------------- ¶11. (C) The Ambassador used the opportunity to press Sinirlioglu on signing up to the Copenhagen Accord, for which the deadline is January 31 (REF B),passing over our talking points. Sinirlioglu was noncommittal. The Ambassador also gave Sinirlioglu a heads up on the Secretary's Internet speech scheduled for January 21. The speech would not single out Turkey, the Ambassador noted, but would likely produce attention on Turkey's posture regarding "YouTube" and freedom of expression on the Internet. Jeffrey "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"