US embassy cable - 04ANKARA1652

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001652 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2029 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, CY, TU 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES GME, CYPRUS WITH TURKEY'S NSC 
 
(U)  Classified by Ambassador Eric S. Edelman, reasons 1.4 b 
and d. 
 
 
1. (C) Summary:  Turkish NSC SecGen Sariisik welcomed hearing 
more about the Greater Middle East Initiative when the 
Ambassador called on him March 17.  Sariisik and his deputy, 
LTG Uzun, had questions about the GME and the role the USG 
envisages for Turkey.  They were careful in underscoring the 
need to avoid characterizing Turkey as a Muslim or Islamic 
state (which it is not), instead of as a secular democracy 
with a predominantly moderate Muslim population that it is. 
On Cyprus, the Ambassador underscored the helpful role of the 
NSC in building a consensus in Ankara that has allowed the 
process to move forward.  End summary. 
 
 
Greater Middle East 
------------------- 
 
 
2. (C) The Ambassador called on Turkish NSC Secretary General 
GEN Sukru Sariisik and his deputy, LTG Hayrettin Uzun, on 
March 17 to discuss the Greater Middle East Initiative.  He 
began his presentation by taking on some of the popular 
misconceptions about the initiative:  it is not an effort to 
control the Middle East or energy resources; it is not a 
conspiracy to promote a "greater Israel" as some in the 
Islamist press claim; it is not a master plan of reforms to 
be imposed on the region; and, the USG was not losing 
interest in the initiative because of some regional leaders' 
unfavorable reactions.  He then went on to explain the 
initiative, harkening back to the President's public 
statements as well as PM Erdogan's January visit and 
discussions in Washington on the GME.  Throughout his 
presentation, he emphasized that the initiative was to 
promote indigenous forces for reform, not impose them, and 
that it is primarily focused on political, economic and 
social reform, although there is a security element which 
will be highlighted at the June Istanbul NATO Summit. 
 
 
3. (C) Sariisik thanked the Ambassador, noting that the US 
needed to make more efforts to explain the initiative to win 
over world public opinion.  He thought most people in the 
region would support it if it were presented as the 
Ambassador had.  Uzun encouraged the Ambassador and his staff 
to cast a wide net when addressing Turkish civil society on 
this issue.  He warned that it would be important for Embassy 
officers to maintain the distinction between Islam, which is 
a character of Turkish people, and Turkey's secular, 
democratic and law-based state.  Otherwise, people might take 
GME as undermining the secular structure of Turkey. 
 
 
4. (C) Sariisik and Uzun posed some questions: 
 
 
-- What role should Turkey play in GME?  Answer: Turkey must 
decide what role it will play.  Turkey is proof that nothing 
prevents Muslims from being democrats.  Turkey's entry into 
the EU would show the region that if you reform, you will be 
accepted into the international community. 
 
 
-- Will the GME and the resulting developments--both positive 
and negative--in the region require a restructuring of forces 
by NATO and its members?  Answer: Transformation is already a 
priority for the alliance as it faces new threats from 
terrorism and WMD.  The Alliance will need to ensure it has 
the capability to respond to contingencies both in Europe and 
out-of-theater. 
 
 
-- Can the different approaches of the EU and the US toward 
the Middle East be bridged?  Answer: The Ambassador 
acknowledged that the EU was facing several challenges with 
enlargement over its self identity and system of governance. 
The US-EU Summit will seek to harmonize approaches toward the 
GME region. 
 
 
Cyprus 
------ 
 
 
5. (C) The Ambassador expressed appreciation for the NSC's 
role in forging the consensus in Ankara that allowed the 
Cyprus negotiations to move forward.  This is the best 
possibility for a just and lasting solution that has existed 
in a long time.  The professionalism of the Turkish side has 
been excellent, he observed.  Sariisik noted that Turkey also 
valued this opportunity. 
EDELMAN