PKK "SUPPORT" FROM ARMENIAN SOURCES

C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 002697





E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR

TAGS: PINS, PREL, PTER, AM, TU

SUBJ: PKK "SUPPORT" FROM ARMENIAN SOURCES



REFS: A) STATE 220237 B) YEREVAN 1701 C) YEREVAN 0165



1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.



2. REFTEL (A) ASKED FOR A REPORT ON "POSSIBLE PKK-

ARMENIAN" LINKS AND INSTRUCTED EMBASSY YEREVAN TO

"CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION CLOSELY AND TO KEEP

US INFORMED." WE RAISED THE SUBJECT WITH FOREIGN

MINISTER PAPAZYAN JULY 26 AND HE SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN

ASKED THE SAME THING BY JOURNALISTS DURING HIS RECENT

TRIP TO THE U.S. HIS ANSWER IS (AND WAS) THAT "THERE

ARE NO LINKS OF ANY KIND BETWEEN THE PKK AND THE

GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA, ALTHOUGH THERE MIGHT BE SUCH

LINKS BETWEEN CERTAIN OPPOSITION GROUPS SUCH AS THE

DASHNAKS." WHEN WE ASKED HIM WHETHER HE WAS TALKING

ABOUT THE DASHNAKS HERE OR THOSE AT PARTY HEADQUARTERS

IN ATHENS, HE REPLIED "THERE'S NO DIFFERENCE."



3. THIS REPLY IS CONSISTENT WITH RESPONSES WE HAVE

GOTTEN FROM SENIOR GOA OFFICIALS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR

NOW, NOT ONLY REGARDING THE PKK BUT ALSO REGARDING ALL

SORTS OF TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, AND PARTICULARLY THE

ASALA. REFTEL (B) WAS THIS EMBASSY'S ATTEMPT TO TRACK

DOWN THE BASIS OF RUMORS IN TURKEY ABOUT A PKK MAGAZINE

BEING PUBLISHED IN ARMENIA. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE

MAGAZINE ONLY PUBLISHED TWO ISSUES, THAT THE VAST

MAJORITY OF THE KURDS IN ARMENIA ARE NON-MUSLIM (AND

APOLITICAL) YEZIDIS, AND THAT THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF

THIS MAGAZINE - ALTHOUGH PRONE TO EXAGGERATE THE LEVEL

OF POLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS AMONG ARMENIA'S SMALL

KURDISH COMMUNITY - ADMITTED THAT THERE WAS NO PKK

ACTIVITY INSIDE ARMENIA. (COMMENT: THIS MAKES SENSE;

AT A TIME WHEN THE GOA IS TRYING TO DO ALL WITHIN ITS

POWER TO ACHIEVE NORMAL RELATIONS WITH TURKEY, WHY

WOULD IT WANT TO PROVOKE TURKEY BY ALLOWING PKK

ACTIVITY WITHIN ITS BORDERS? FURTHERMORE, THE GOA IS

MAKING A MAXIMUM EFFORT TO CONFISCATE WEAPONRY OF ALL

TYPES FROM CIVILIANS AND PUT IT INTO THE HANDS OF THE

"PROPER" AUTHORITIES; WHY WOULD IT COUNTENANCE THE

TRAINING OF TERRORISTS WHO COULD ONE DAY BE TURNED

AGAINST ANY TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY?)



4. REFTEL (C) WAS AN OFFER TO DEMARCHE THE GOA ABOUT

THE ALEGED PKK PRESENCE IN A SPECIFIC REGION AS

REPORTED BY EMBASSY BAKU IN BAKU 0070. ACCORDING TO

OUR RECORDS, THE DEPARTMENT NEVER REPLIED TO THIS

MESSAGE. BUT WE HAVE BROUGHT UP THE SUBJECT OF

TERRORISM ON A REGULAR BASIS WITH A RANGE OF SENIOR

OFFICIALS, ALL OF WHOM CONDEMN THE ASALA AND ALL OF ITS

COUSINS IN THE TERRORIST WORLD. THEIR ONE REGRET IN

THIS AREA IS THAT -- AS THEY SEE IT -- THERE IS

PRECIOUS LITTLE THEY CAN DO IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THE

DASHNAKS LIVING IN IRAN WANT TO FINANCE, TRAIN, OR

EQUIP TERRORIST UNITS OPERATING - ILLEGITIMATELY AND IN

DIRECT OPPOSITION TO GOA POLICY - IN THE NAME OF THE

ARMENIAN PEOPLE.





GILMORE