US embassy cable - 03ISTANBUL1647

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 001647 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, TU, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE EDUCATION MINISTRY MOVEMENT ON HALKI? 
 
 
REF: ISTANBUL 1347 
 
 
Classified By: A/CG Stuart Smith for reason 1.4 (d). 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Recent encouraging comments by Turkish 
government officials about prospects for re-opening Halki 
Theological Seminary have sparked extensive press interest. 
Education Minister Huseyin Celik, in a recent meeting with 
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, said that re-opening Halki 
(possibly as a theological technical school) is long overdue 
and would be good for the development of Turkish democracy. 
The Greek Orthodox Community, while optimistic, is not 
holding its breath.  End Summary. 
 
 
2. (SBU) On October 30, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met 
with National Education Minister Huseyin Celik to discuss the 
status of the Halki Seminary on Heybeli Island, outside 
Istanbul.  Patriarchate sources were very pleased by Celik's 
"positive outlook," but said that no concrete steps for the 
re-opening of Halki (which has been closed since 1971) were 
taken. 
 
 
3. (C) According to Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia, the 
idea to re-designate Halki as a part of the Theological 
Faculty of Istanbul University is now not being seriously 
considered.  Instead, he said, Halki may be re-opened as a 
private theological "technical school."  Questions remain as 
to whether Halki would be allowed to administer a four-year 
course of study, or would be limited to only one year. 
Meliton said the Patriarchate would be willing to discuss 
this point further. 
 
 
4. (U) Following the meeting with Bartholomew, Celik made a 
statement to the press that "the issue of the seminary on 
Heybeli Island has been on the agenda for 32 years, and 
doesn't need to be protracted any longer."  Further, he said, 
"having a free education in Christian theology is a necessary 
part of the democratic structure of the Turkish state."  All 
major press coverage of the meeting was positive. 
 
 
5. (C) In a separate meeting, Yavuz Onen, Human Rights 
Foundation President (protect), said that he believes nothing 
new is happening, and that Celik's press statements were 
intended as positive human rights publicity for the EU's 
benefit.  Onen has been involved in discussions on the status 
of Halki for many years. 
 
 
6. (C) Comment: The Patriarchate hears good things from all 
AK Party ministers they've met with.  While the meetings 
indicate a more open-minded attitude to the issue in the 
Erdogan government, to date the government has not followed 
words with action, and reaction from the Kemalist core has 
been unremittingly harsh and xenophobic.  Moreover, our 
attempts to find anyone in the Education Ministry in Ankara 
who is responsible for what Celik said would be a commission 
to study the way ahead have gone for nought. 
 
 
7. (C) Additionally, the Patriarchate told us that, in their 
August meeting, PM Erdogan implied to Bartholomew that, in 
return for opening Halki, he might expect some quid pro quo 
from Greece with regard to the treatment of the Turkish 
minority in Thrace and/or the long-delayed opening of a 
mosque in Athens (a linkage that the Patriarchate rejects). 
We are continuing to press GoT and AK Party officials for 
clarification of Celik's statement and the GoT's intent.  End 
comment. 
SMITH