Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ANKARA239
2010-02-12 16:57:00
SECRET
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

ALLEGED PKK WARNING TO U.S. AGAINST PROVIDING UAVS

Tags:  PTER MOPS TU 
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000239 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, S/CT, INR/EU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2020
TAGS: PTER MOPS TU
SUBJECT: ALLEGED PKK WARNING TO U.S. AGAINST PROVIDING UAVS
TO TURKEY

Classified By: Pol-Mil Counselor Anthony Godfrey, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000239

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, S/CT, INR/EU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2020
TAGS: PTER MOPS TU
SUBJECT: ALLEGED PKK WARNING TO U.S. AGAINST PROVIDING UAVS
TO TURKEY

Classified By: Pol-Mil Counselor Anthony Godfrey, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) In comments responding to a question regarding the
visit to Ankara by Secretary Gates on February 6 and USF-I
Commanding General Odierno on February 3, the leader of the
terrorist PKK reportedly issued a warning to the U.S.,
apparently against providing Turkey with an armed UAV
capability. According to a press interview posted on
February 8 by the Firat New Agency (a PKK media outlet),
PKK leader Murat Karayilan singled out the provision of
"special assassination aircraft" as a step that the PKK
would view as the U.S. becoming directly involved in the
conflict. He noted that, "Currently, Turkey does not have
such capability. Since the U.S. will provide these
aircraft for the massacre to be carried out by those
planes, not Turkey but the U.S. will be responsible." He
further stated that, "If the U.S. gives these aircraft to
Turkey and if (PKK members) are hit by them, then "(the
PKK) will hold the U.S. responsible" and that the PKK will
"review the policy that (it has) been pursuing toward the
U.S. until now." The interview has been widely reported in
Turkish media outlets and has been interpreted as
Karayilan's "instructions to PKK administrators" and a
threat to the U.S.


2. (S) Para. 5 below contains an unofficial Embassy
translation of key excerpts from the February 8 interview
on the Firat News Agency (FNA) website. Turkish media
reporting, apparently based on the FNA interview,
interpretted the statement as a threat to the United States.


3. (C) On February 12, the Embassy Emergency Action
Committee met to discuss this and other potential threats
to American citizens. The Committee decided that this
statement was likely made as a political response to visits
to Ankara in the past week by SecDef and USF-I CG Odierno,
where strong statements of U.S. solidarity with Turkey's
fight against the PKK caught the attention of the press.
The Committee noted that similar indirect threats had been
made in both November 2007 and Spring 2008 and that at this
point, no action was required given Mission's already
heightened security posture.


4. (C) Comment: Because of the long-standing Turkish

interest in recruiting the U.S. into the fight against the
PKK, Turkish press reports may be inclined to exaggerate
the threat against us. A careful reading of the PKK
instructions as reported by the media here suggests a
warning rather than a direct threat. That said, if the
organization does feel increasing pressure over the next
several months and if the Turkish military strikes against
PKK targets become increasingly effective, its threat
against us may become more explicit.


5. (SBU) Begin text of informal translation of key excerpts
of the February 8 Firat News Agency interview with
Karayilan:

"Question: Ray Odierno, Commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq,
visited Turkey. Later Secretary of Defense Gates too
arrived for the NATO meeting in Istanbul. Gates received
high-level reception in Ankara by the President and the
Prime Minister of Turkey. He had meetings at the Ministry
of National Defense and during those talks, Turkey asked
for support and new technical arms in the fight against the
PKK. Would you comment?"

"Answer: If the U.S. genuinely wants to develop a solution
to problems in the region and if it is looking for
stability in the Middle East, then it should first adopt a
straight approach to the Kurdish issue. It is a double
standard to regard the southern Kurds as friends and
support violence against the freedom cause of the northern
Kurds. It is not a moral policy...

Despite all these facts, it is not right for the U.S. to
support Turkey's violent policy... Eleven years ago, our
leader was taken hostage by an international ploy led by
the U.S. and given to Turkey. The goal was to eliminate
our movement...

ANKARA 00000239 002 OF 002



Now Turkey again wants new technical (equipment) from the
U.S. According to the media, there is an agreement between
Turkey and the U.S. on this issue. PM Erdogan while
meeting with Gates referred to that agreement and asked for
new technical assistance... According to that agreement,
the American aircraft on surveillance flights over
Kurdistan skies are loaded/armed. This means as they
determined the target, they have the ability to fire on
them immediately. Erdogan asked for those 'assassination
arms' from Gates...

What will he do with them? He will carry out
assassinations against our prominent administrators and
eliminate them... This proves that the democratic
initiative is demagogy and a lie...

Until now, the U.S. always supported the Turkish state's
violent policy. By supporting this violent policy, the
U.S. has been an accomplice in the shedding of blood of the
Kurdish people... We want to emphasize that the U.S.
finally should end being an accomplice. Now it is
conducting surveillance activity. It provides arms,
ammunition and technical support. Above all this, if it
also provides to Turkey special assassination aircraft,
then this would mean that the U.S. directly is involved in
this war...

If the U.S. gives these aircraft to Turkey and if Turkey
with these aircraft hits the Kurdish freedom fighters then
the U.S. will be directly responsible for this. Currently
Turkey does not have such capability. Since the U.S. will
provide these aircraft for the massacre to be carried out
by those planes, not Turkey but the U.S. will be
responsible. We will hold the U.S. responsible. For this
reason, I am again appealing to the U.S. to give up these
policies and not to be hostile toward the Kurdish people
and their freedom movement.

The U.S. for the sake of using Turkey for its interests in
the Middle East, should not sacrifice the Kurdish people.
This is inhumane... Despite our good will and appeals, if
the U.S. insists on this policy and for its own interest
gives all technical equipment to Turkey for carrying out
massacres, then in response, it should be known that we
will be put in a position to review the policy that we have
been pursuing toward the U.S. until now."

End Text of informal translation.
Jeffrey

"Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s
gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"