TURKEY SUPPORTS OIC ISLAMIC PEACE FORCE PROPOSAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000230 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2020 TAGS: PGOV PREL TU SUBJECT: TURKEY SUPPORTS OIC ISLAMIC PEACE FORCE PROPOSAL Classified By: POL Counselor Daniel O'Grady for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (C) On February 2 MFA Middle East desk officer M. Rami Sayliman told us Turkey supports the "Islamic peace force" idea proposed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (a Turkish national). (Note: SG Ihsanoglu proposed the formation of a "department for peace and security" within the OIC General Secretariat and an OIC Peace and Security Council during the Regional Summit on Afghanistan in Istanbul on January 26. End note.) Sayliman stressed to us that the peace force proposal is not a Turkish initiative but does have Turkish support. He characterized the proposal as a work in progress, conceding that it is "not supported by all countries." ¶2. (C) According to the Egyptian Embassy's Mohamed Moussa, who follows Turkey's relationship with the OIC, the peace force proposal was a Turkish initiative. SG Ihsanoglu has close ties to Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and consults closely with the MFA on the proposed peace force and other issues of interest for Turkey in the OIC. As the proposal was unanimously rejected by the other OIC member states, Moussa said the Turkish representatives were forced to remain silent rather than voice support for the proposal. ¶3. (C) Cenk Uraz, the then head of the OIC unit in the MFA, told Moussa on November 25 (one week before Uraz became an advisor to SG Ihsanoglu) that the OIC is a top priority for Turkey. Uraz told Moussa of several key "deliverables" Turkey wanted to achieve in the OIC. Among these was a role for the OIC in conflict resolution and the establishment of OIC peacekeeping forces. Uraz said he hoped these could be established by the next OIC summit in Cairo 2011. Moussa noted that some OIC members are increasingly dissatisfied with SG Ihsanoglu due to his penchant for proposing initiatives without prior consultations with other OIC members. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Moussa's contention that Turkey is behind the OIC peace force proposal seems entirely plausible. FM Davutoglu has been searching for greater influence among Muslim countries. He may have felt Turkey's capable military, with its ample expeditionary experience, would be a naturally influential mentor to an OIC peace force. Given the proposal's initial poor reception, the MFA will likely continue to conceal its authorship for now. Jeffrey "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"