US embassy cable - 03ANKARA7700

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007700 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, TU 
SUBJECT: NOVEMBER ATTACKS HAVE NOT STOPPED REFORMS, BUT 
FURTHER TERROR COULD UNDERMINE EU CANDIDACY 
 
 
Classified by Polcouns John Kunstadter; reasons 1.5 b and d. 
 
 
1. (U) Summary: Members of Parliament, the bureaucracy and 
NGO community agree the GOT will continue its EU-related 
reform process despite the November terrorist attacks in 
Istanbul, but they fear that further attacks could undermine 
Turkey's EU candidacy.  Human rights observers say police and 
GOT officials have generally handled the attacks and 
investigation responsibly.  End Summary. 
 
 
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GOT Will Continue Reforms 
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2. (U) A range of Embassy contacts in the Parliament, 
bureaucracy, and NGO community agree that the November 
terrorist attacks in Istanbul will not cause the GOT to halt 
its EU-related human rights reform process.  Like others with 
whom we spoke, AK MP Faruk Bayrak views the attacks as just 
the latest among numerous obstacles Turkey faces in its quest 
for European acceptance.  Bayrak, a member of the 
parliamentary Human Rights Committee, compared Turkey's EU 
candidacy to a heavily loaded truck ascending a steep hill in 
the rain: "These attacks add weight to the truck, but they 
will not stop it."  Asligul Ugdul, political affairs director 
of the Secretariat General for EU Affairs -- one of the GOT 
offices most closely involved with reform legislation -- 
vowed that the GOT will redouble its efforts to implement 
human rights reforms in the wake of the attacks. 
 
 
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Official Reaction Balanced 
-------------------------- 
 
 
3. (SBU) Human rights observers agree the GOT has generally 
responded in a balanced manner to the attacks, though some 
members of the opposition CHP tried to blame the ruling AK 
Party, arguing that AK's Islamist roots compel it to be soft 
on terrorism.  The statements of high-level GOT 
representatives have been responsible, and military officials 
have refrained from making political statements relating to 
the attacks or the investigation.  There have been very few 
complaints against the police regarding the investigation, 
though Yilmaz Ensaroglu, chairman of the Islam-oriented human 
rights organization Mazlum-Der, claimed to us that police are 
regularly detaining children younger than 15 for 
interrogation.  Husnu Ondul, chairman of the Human Rights 
Association, told us he sees no evidence that the security 
forces are exploiting public anger over the attacks by 
ignoring recent reforms related to police detention and 
questioning. 
 
 
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Further Attacks Could Harm EU Prospects 
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4. (U) Still, our contacts express a weary, plaintive 
frustration that Turkey will be unfairly judged by Western 
Europeans fearful of their large, Muslim neighbor.  "Of 
course, our opponents (in Europe) will use this against us," 
said Ugdul.  "But it's not fair -- isn't there terrorism in 
Europe?"  There has been significant public resentment over 
the canceling of several high-profile international events 
planned to take place in Turkey -- including professional 
soccer matches, a European Urology Congress, and the Balkans 
Gymnastics Championship.  Ugdul said the EU has even canceled 
several bilateral working-level meetings scheduled for 
Ankara.  Our human rights contacts agree the problem is 
manageable and will prove temporary -- provided there are no 
further attacks.  "If there are more attacks, then Europe 
could continue to isolate Turkey," Ondul said.  "If that 
happens, Turkey might give up on the EU and human rights 
reform."  For Hakan Tasci, AK MP and Human Rights Committee 
member, it's all a matter of perception.  If terrorists 
continue to stage attacks in Turkey, Europeans will view 
Turkey as belonging to a backwards, dangerous part of the 
world.  "If Europe looks at Turkey and sees the Middle East, 
it will not take Turkey in the EU.  If it looks at Turkey and 
sees a Western country, then it will," he said. 
EDELMAN