MOI ATALAY BULLY ON ACTION PLAN, SOUR ON BARZANI

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000282 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, S/CT E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2020 TAGS: PGOV TU IZ SUBJECT: MOI ATALAY BULLY ON ACTION PLAN, SOUR ON BARZANI REF: ANKARA 267 Classified By: Ambassador James Jeffrey, for reasons 1.4(b,d) This is an action request. Please see para. 5. ¶1. (C) Summary. On February 16 Ambassador Jeffrey met with Minister of Interior Besir Atalay to discuss the first steps in the enhanced joint action plan to eradicate the PKK. The GOT would welcome a visit by UFF-I MG Hummer, and Post would like the Department to discuss screening of Iraq-bound passengers with the Embassy of Iraq. End summary. ¶2. (C) On February 16 the Ambassador met with Minister of Interior Besir Atalay to discuss cooperation on increasing security in Northern Iraq, among other topics, and gave Atalay a copy of the February 11 letter from General Odierno to the Minister. Atalay thanked the Ambassador for quickly responding to his request for an enhanced action plan to eradicate the PKK so soon after General Odierno's visit, and for reinforcing existing commitments regarding intelligence sharing and the use of unmanned aircraft. He said he looked forward to making more progress on developing the joint action plan quickly. ¶3. (C) Atalay lamented that President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Massoud Barzani did not appear to be trying to eliminate the PKK in Northern Iraq, and that the KRG was providing a great deal of support to the refugees in the Makhmur Camp, from which the PKK is known to draw support. He hoped that the elections planned for March in Iraq would help to strengthen the federal government system so that Turkey's bilateral relations with Iraq's Foreign Minister would lead to greater cooperation on security matters in Northern Iraq. He complained that PKK members appeared to travel freely into Iraq from Europe via Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports. The Ambassador asked whether the action plan could include setting up a system to prevent known PKK members from boarding flights to Turkey, Iraq or other countries if they did not have a valid visa or were on a no-fly list. Atalay took the matter under consideration. ¶4. (C) Atalay said he would appreciate a visit from Major General Hummer (UFF-I) to discuss security in Northern Iraq. ¶5. (C) ACTION REQUEST. Post suggests that the Department and Embassy Baghdad consider the viability of an Iraqi government no fly list to permit European and other jurisdictions to prevent the travel of known PKK officers into northern Iraq. We believe that such an element could be included in future discussions with the GOI and GOT on the action plan. Jeffrey "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"