US embassy cable - 03ANKARA6858

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006858 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, INR 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, PHUM, PINR, KNNP, TU 
SUBJECT: THE VIEW FROM SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY:  PART TWO 
 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 6163 
     B. ANKARA 6140 
     C. ANKARA 5566 
 
 
 CLASSIFIED BY W.S. REID III, PO AMCON ADANA, E.O. 12958, 
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
 
1.(C) SUMMARY:  THIS IS THE SECOND OF THREE MESSAGES ABOUT 
THE AMCON ADANA REPORTING TEAM VISIT TO SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY 
FROM SEPTEMBER 14-26. REFTELS REPORT OTHER ASPECTS OF THIS 
TRIP.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
BITLIS - STRONG ISLAMIC OUTPOST IN THE EAST 
 
 
2. (C) BITLIS AND ITS MAIN TOWNS HAVE A POLITICALLY ISLAMIC 
POPULACE STRONGLY SUPPORTIVE OF AK PARTY.  SEVERAL MAYORS 
CRITICIZED THE U.S. FOR OCCUPYING IRAQ AND ASKED RHETORICALLY 
"IS TURKEY NEXT?  WE WILL NOT LET YOU COME HERE!"  THE TATVAN 
MAYOR ENGAGED IN A LENGTHY HARANGUE DURING WHICH MORE AND 
MORE MUNICIPAL STAFF KEPT APPEARING IN THE OFFICE IN WHICH HE 
MAINTAINED THAT "THE CIA IS IN LEAGUE WITH BIN LADEN AND 
CONSPIRED TO BRING DOWN THE TWIN TOWERS SO THAT YOU COULD 
ATTACK THE ISLAMIC WORLD.  WE WILL RESIST, YOU KNOW."  THE 
MAYOR'S ASSERTIONS DETERIORATED FROM THIS POINT ONWARD, 
REFLECTING THE WARPING EFFECT OF THE REGION'S WEAK MEDIA 
CULTURE. 
 
 
3. (C) OUTSIDE THE MUNICIPAL OFFICES, OUT OF POLICE AND AKP 
CADRE EARSHOT, SEVERAL BUSINESS LEADERS NOTED THEIR CONCERNS 
ABOUT "THE ISLAMIC PROBLEM," ASKING THAT WE KEEP THEIR 
COMMENTS CONFIDENTIAL AS THEY FEARED WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WERE 
THEIR OPINIONS TO BECOME WIDELY KNOWN.  SEVERAL PEOPLE WE MET 
ON THE STREET AND IN BUSINESS LOBBIES ASKED US HOW WE FELT 
ABOUT PKK/KADEK (WE TOLD THEM THAT THE ORGANIZATION IS LISTED 
AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION), ASKED WHY THE U.S. DID NOT STOP 
TURKISH GOVERNMENT "STATE TERRORISM AND VIOLENCE," AND VOICED 
OPPOSITION TO "SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY ON NEW ATTACK 
HELICOPTERS WHEN WE HAVE DEBTS TO PAY ELSEWHERE AND NEED 
SCHOOLS." 
 
 
VAN - A BREATH OF FRESH AIR OR MORE OF THE SAME ILL TREATMENT? 
 
 
4. (C) IN VAN, THE TRAVELING TEAM NOTED INCREASED GOT 
SURVEILLANCE AND BLATANT GOT EFFORTS AT INTIMIDATION. 
SEVERAL WHITE VANS OF NON-POLICE ORIGIN SHADOWED THE TEAM 
FROM THE VAN BORDER PROVINCE ONWARD, TOGETHER WITH SEVERAL 
WELL-DRESSED MEN WHOSE PRESENCE MADE THE LOCAL UNIFORMED AND 
NON-UNIFORMED POLICE ANXIOUS.  LOCAL UNHCR INTERNATIONAL 
STAFF (STRICTLY PROTECT) SAID SIMILAR MEASURES WERE SOMETIMES 
FOCUSED ON THE UNHCR'S ACTIVITY IN VAN AND AGAINST THE 
IRANIAN CONSULATE IN ERZURUM AND THE "OBVIOUS IRANIAN 
INTELLIGENCE VEHICLES FROM THE (IRANIAN ERZURUM) CONSULATE 
WORKING IN VAN PROPER." 
 
 
5. (C) PO'S MEETING WITH NEWLY-ARRIVED GOVERNOR HIKMET TAN 
SUGGESTED THAT TAN MIGHT BE A POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE 
IN THE SEVERAL COURT CASES BROUGHT BY THE GOT AGAINST VICTOR 
AND KRISTY BEDOIAN, AMCITS OF ARMENIAN HERITAGE.  TAN OFFERED 
TO MEET WITH THE BEDOIANS AND TO MOVE QUICKLY TO RE-ISSUE 
THEM A BUSINESS LICENSE AS SOON AS THE CASES INVOLVING THEIR 
EMBEZZLED PROPERTY AND LOST BUSINESS LICENSE CAME TO A 
CONCLUSION ON THE VAN PROVINCE DOCKET.  "I WANT TO SEE THE 
RETURN OF AMERICAN AND WESTERN TOURISTS IN NUMBERS TO VAN'S 
GREATER HISTORICAL SITES WHILE I AM HERE" TAN SAID, "AND I 
HOPE THAT CONSULS CAN HELP ME DO THAT."  TAN ALSO SAID THAT 
BUILDING LEGITIMATE CROSS-BORDER TRADE WITH IRAN IS A HIGH 
PRIORITY, THAT HE ALREADY HAD MET IRANIAN LOCAL COUNTERPARTS, 
THAT TURKEY WAS CONSIDERING OPENING A ROAD CROSSING IN VAN 
AND THAT THE IRANIANS ARE SERIOUSLY THINKING OF BUILDING A 
ROAD TO THE TURKISH SIDE OF THE EXISTING RAIL CROSSING IN VAN 
PROVINCE.  HE SAID THAT HE SEES THE "SUITCASE TRADER MODEL" 
AS THE MOST VIABLE NEAR-TERM BUSINESS MODE FOR 
TURKISH-IRANIAN BORDER TRADE. 
 
 
6. (C) UNFORTUNATELY, A SIMILAR MEETING WITH VAN SECURITY 
DIRECTOR TACETTIN KURT SUGGESTED A BREAK IN THE SYSTEMATIC 
HARASSMENT OF THE BEDOIAN FAMILY MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY BE 
AROUND THE CORNER.  HE DENIED THAT THERE HAD BEEN ANY 
PROBLEMS FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS IN VAN.  HE ALSO CLAIMED THAT 
THERE WERE NO HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEMS IN HIS POLICE DISTRICT 
AND "THERE NEVER WILL BE ONE."  LOCAL UNHCR (STRICTLY 
PROTECT) AND BUSINESS CONTACTS SAID THAT KURT IS THE 
CONTINUING PROBLEM IN THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AND ALLEGED 
THAT HE WAS INVOLVED IN SMUGGLING AND OTHER ILLEGAL PRACTICES 
"ALONG WITH THE OLD ANAP LEADERSHIP THAT USED TO RUN THE 
PROVINCE." 
 
 
7. (C) ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, KURT EXPRESSED COMMITMENT TO 
COMBATING ILLICIT MIGRATION, WHICH HE SAID HAD SURPASSED DRUG 
AND FUEL SMUGGLING AS THE REGION'S BIGGEST PROBLEM.  HE SAID 
THAT RECENT ARRESTS INDICATED STEADY STREAM IRANIAN 
GOVERNMENT-ORCHESTRATED ILLICIT MIGRATION "MAINLY MOVING 
AFGHANS, INDIANS, PAKISTANIS AND BANGLADESHIS IN SIGNIFICANT 
NUMBERS" (A THOUSAND OR TWO A MONTH) ACROSS THE VAN PROVINCE 
BORDER.  UNHCR CONTACTS (STRICTLY PROTECT) REPORTED SOMALIS, 
IRAQIS, AND CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICANS IN SMALLER NUMBERS AS 
WELL.  KURT ESTIMATED THAT THE GOING RATE FOR SMUGGLING A 
PERSON INTO VAN PROVINCE WAS USD 3,000 AND ANOTHER USD 8,000 
FOR ONWARD SMUGGLING TO ISTANBUL AND THE BALKANS.  THE VAN 
SECURITY DIRECTOR'S CLAIMS WERE CORROBORATED BY THE BASKALE 
SUB-GOVERNOR AND HIS SECURITY DIRECTOR, A FORMER TURKISH 
INTERPOL LIAISON OFFICER WELL-VERSED IN THE PROBLEM AND THE 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL DRUG AND HUMAN TRAFFICKERS. 
 
 
8. (C) A PROMINENT VAN LAWYER SAID THAT THE LOCAL POPULATION 
STILL WANTED FREEDOM TO BE KURDISH IN EVERYDAY LIFE, FROM 
NAMING CHILDREN TO GOVERNING THEIR LOCAL AFFAIRS, EVEN THOUGH 
THEY KNEW THAT THEIR DREAMS OF A "REAL KURDISTAN WERE JUST 
NOT POSSIBLE GIVEN EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE POLITICAL WORLD OF 
TODAY.  STILL AUTONOMY IS WHAT WE WANT."  HE WONDERED WHETHER 
"AMERICA WOULD STILL STAND WITH US LIKE THEY DID IN IRAQ." 
PO NOTED THAT THE U.S. POLICY IN IRAQ WAS TO REMOVE HUSSEIN 
AND NEUTRALIZE WMD THREATS IN THE REGION AND BUILD A 
DEMOCRATIC IRAQ.  PO UNDERSCORED THAT THE U.S WAS NOT TAKING 
SIDES IN IRAQ, ADDING THAT THE U.S. CONSIDERED PKK/KADEK A 
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.  OUR CONTACT SAID THAT HE REALIZED 
THIS, BUT IT WAS TOO NUANCED A POSITION FOR MUCH OF THE LOCAL 
POPULATION TO GRASP.  "THEY STILL WANT TO SEE THINGS AS YOUR 
TAKING THE KURDISH SIDE SOMETIMES", HE SAID.  HE LAMENTED 
THAT KURDISH SOCIETY ITSELF WAS NOT CHANGING QUICKLY ENOUGH. 
TOO MANY KURDS STILL DID NOT CHALLENGE PRACTICES LIKE HONOR 
KILLINGS, SUBSERVIENT POSITIONS FOR WOMEN, TRIBAL LORD 
LEADERSHIP, DOWRY REQUIREMENTS, AND ARRANGED MARRIAGES, AND 
THAT "WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE FOR KURDS TO MODERNIZE LIKE THE 
WORLD AROUND THEM."  HE PRAISED THE GOT'S RECENT EU REFORM 
PACKAGES AND SAID THAT "THINGS ARE CHANGING SOMEWHAT FOR THE 
BETTER.  WE SEE THAT, BUT PRACTICE IS HOW THESE LAWS WILL 
REALLY BE JUDGED, AND THERE IS LITTLE TRUST OR TRACK RECORD 
FOR US TO RELY ON IN LOOKING AT THESE NEW TURKISH LAWS SO 
FAR." 
EDELMAN