LEBANON AND THE PKK

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 02694 E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PREL PTER SY TU LE SUBJECT: LEBANON AND THE PKK REF: (A) STATE 176472 (NOTAL) (B) DAMASCUS 3848 (C) ANKARA 7929 ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT ¶2. ON JUNE 23 (PRIOR TO THE SERIES OF PKK ATTACKS ON TURKISH INTERESTS IN EUROPE),THE AMBASSADOR RAISED WITH INTERIOR MINISTER BISHARA MIRHIJ THE JUNE 8 OCALAN PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE BIQA' IN WHICH HE EFFECTIVELY DECLARED WAR ON TURKEY, INCLUDING TOURIST FACILITIES IN TURKEY. THE AMBASSADOR TOLD MIRHIJ THAT WE HAD DELIVERED A DEMARCHE IN DAMASCUS EXPRESSING OUR CONCERN OVER THESE STATEMENTS. WHILE HE HAD NO INSTRUCTIONS TO DO THE SAME IN LEBANON, THE AMBASSADOR SAID THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE PRESENCE OF SUCH INDIVIDUALS ON LEBANESE TERRITORY AND ACTIONS OF THIS NATURE ARE VERY HARMFUL TO THE LEBANESE EFFORT TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT THE YEARS OF CHAOS AND CIVIL CONFLICT ARE AT AN END, AND THAT LEBANON IS NO LONGER A SANCTUARY FOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. ¶3. MIRHIJ READILY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT OCALAN'S STATEMENTS HAD BEEN AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION IN A RECENT CABINET MEETING. DURING TALKS THE PREVIOUS WEEK WITH HIS SYRIAN COUNTERPART ON JOINT EFFORTS TO CONTROL SMUGGLING, MIRHIJ SAID THAT HE HAD RAISED OCALAN'S PERFORMANCE, ASKING FOR SYRIA'S COOPERATION IN ENSURING THAT THERE WAS NO REPETITION. MIRHIJ SAID HE DID NOT GET A COMMITMENT, BUT FELT THAT THE SYRIANS WERE ALSO TAKEN ABACK BY THE VEHEMENCE OF OCALAN'S STATEMENTS. CROCKER