US embassy cable - 04ANKARA2283

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002283 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2014 
TAGS: CY, GR, PREL, TU 
SUBJECT: CONTINUING TURKISH CONCERNS WITH DRAFT CYPRUS 
UNSCR 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 2231 
     B. NICOSIA 687 
 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Eric Edelman, E.O. 12958, 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
 
1.  (C) MFA Deputy U/S Ilkin called Ambassador Edelman on 
April 21 to express continuing Turkish concerns about the 
effect of the current draft Cyprus UNSCR.  Ilkin expressed 
three concerns; MFA Cyprus Department Head Bilman expressed 
the same concerns in a separate call to poloff. 
 
 
2.  (C) First, the draft still lacks reference to the 
Treaties of Alliance and Guarantee.  Ilkin and Bilman both 
stressed that this poses serious problems for the Turkish 
military.  These concerns can be met by changing the first 
phrase of the preamble to read "Reaffirming relevant UNSCRs 
and treaties on Cyprus."  Cyprus Department Head Bilman 
argued this is standard UN language for Cyprus-related 
matters. 
 
 
3.  (C) Second, Paragraph 7 of the draft preamble contains 
reference to "appropriate action" which the Turks believe 
exceeds the UN mandate established by the Annan Plan and 
represents -- in their view -- an effort to sneak the entire 
resolution under Chapter Seven in another guise. 
 
 
4.  (C) Third, the provision in draft paragraph 10(a) 
allowing the UNSC committee to request "whatever further 
information it may consider necessary" should be dropped. 
Ambassador Edelman pointed out to Ilkin that this only 
applied to embargo provisions; Ilkin replied that the wording 
is overly broad.  Bilman said the broadness of this provision 
invited manipulation and encroached on the responsibilities 
given to the Monitoring Committee established by the Annan 
Plan. 
 
 
5.  (C) Comment:  We support the UNSC effort to make 
reasonable efforts to bring the GCs to "yes" on the 
referendum.  However, without these fixes, our UNSC push may 
overload the circuits in Ankara and disrupt the balance -- in 
any event tenuous -- the MFA and GOT have established with 
the military, the President, the bureaucracy, and Parliament. 
 We should make sure the effort to get a GC "yes" does not 
endanger the Turkish "yes," especially in light of Embassy 
Nicosia's assessment that the draft UNSCR will probably fall 
short of what AKEL needs to support a "yes" (ref B).  Two 
"nos" will leave us in a much worse post-referendum position 
than a "yes/no."  End Comment. 
EDELMAN