US embassy cable - 04ANKARA4651

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004651 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, ENRG, ECON, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: TURKISH READOUT ON IIG PRESIDENT AL-YAWAR VISIT: 
GOOD ON TONE, SHORT ON SPECIFICS 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 4600 AND PREVIOUS 
     B. BAGHDAD 360 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1. (C) The GOT is pleased with the Aug. 16-17 visit of IIG 
President al-Yawar and the IIG ministers for foreign affairs, 
water resources, and trade.  Al-Yawar told the Turks that he 
and the IIG intentionally chose Turkey for his first major 
trip abroad, and that they saw Turkey as Iraq's most 
important neighbor.  Contrary to press reports, the Turks 
found al-Yawar and his delegation forthcoming on issues of 
importance to the GOT: PKK/Kongra-Gel, Kirkuk, security for 
the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, reestablishing a consulate in 
Mosul, and the status of the Turkmen in the new Iraq.  The 
Turks did not press al-Yawar hard on security for Turkish 
truckers and other workers in Iraq or Iraqi plans to 
institute a visa regime.  Though the tone appears to have 
been quite positive, there were relatively few deliverables 
on key issues; the Turks nonetheless seemed satisfied.  The 
Turks report that al-Yawar was not fully up to speed on the 
details of a number of issues, and often turned to his 
ministers for backup.  End summary. 
 
2. (C) IIG President Ghazi al-Yawar, accompanied by three 
ministers, visited Ankara Aug. 16-17.  Al-Yawar met with 
Turkish President Sezer, Prime Minister Erdogan, Turkish 
business leaders, and (along with his corresponding minister) 
the Turkish foreign, foreign trade, and energy and natural 
resource ministers.  MFA Iraq Chief of Desk Mehmet Kemal 
Bozay and Iraq Desk Officer Ferhat Alkan gave PolMilOff a 
readout of the visit on Aug. 18.  Alkan sat in on all six of 
the president's meetings.  The MFA officials reported that 
the tone of the meetings was generally positive and 
constructive (despite some sniping from the Turkish press), 
but they noted that al-Yawar was generally weak on detailed 
knowledge of specific issues, often turning to his ministers 
for assistance.  The Turks praised the ministers accompanying 
al-Yawar as informed and non-confrontational on the issues, 
and believe this visit set the table for a successful visit 
by IIG PM Allawi on Sept. 7.  The Turkish press was so 
negative in its coverage of the first day of the visit (Aug. 
16) that al-Yawar himself felt compelled to complain to the 
press Aug. 17.  We noticed that the Aug. 18 papers were 
somewhat more generous.  The Turks told us that they believed 
the negative press was inaccurate and unfair. 
 
3. (C) In the small meeting with Sezer, al-Yawar emphasized 
that he and the IIG had wanted Turkey to be his first major 
overseas visit, since he saw Turkey as Iraq's most important 
neighbor and that, among Iraq's neighbors, Turkey is the only 
one that could be a model that Iraq can follow as it 
progresses economically and politically.  Al-Yawar expressed 
his personal support for Turkey's bid for EU membership. 
Sezer told al-Yawar that Turkey will give agrement for Iraq's 
new ambassador to Ankara, an issue on which the Turks had 
been dragging their feet.  The two presidents chiefly 
concentrated on four issues: the Turkish request to open a 
consulate in Mosul, the terrorist PKK/Kongra-Gel's continuing 
presence and activities in northern Iraq, the status of 
Kirkuk, and the status of Iraq's Turkmen population. 
Interestingly, the issue of security for Turkish truckers 
(ref a) only came up during the presidents' meeting together 
with their delegations, not in the one-on-one. 
 
Mosul Consulate 
--------------- 
 
4. (C) On the Mosul Consulate, al-Yawar told Sezer that the 
IIG has no problem with the Turks' opening a consulate 
(actually reopening its consulate, which had closed in 1995). 
 Al-Yawar said, however, that the security situation would 
need to improve.  In the delegations' meeting, IIG FonMin 
Zebari added that Iraq is simultaneously reestablishing 
diplomatic ties with 34 countries, Turkey being among the 
most important.  He added that the Iraqi embassy in Ankara 
should be "fully operational" before addressing the Mosul 
issue, but said that perhaps the issue could be revisited 
during PM Allawi's Sept. 7 visit.  (Note: Both the Iraqi 
Charge here and MFA's Bozay told PolMilOff that they hope the 
new Iraqi Ambassador, Sabah Omran, will arrive in Ankara in 
September.  End note.) 
 
Al-Yawar: PKK Is Also a Threat to Iraq 
-------------------------------------- 
 
5. (C) On the PKK/Kongra-Gel, al-Yawar told Sezer that the 
organization is a threat for the Iraqis as well, and that he 
did not want Iraq to be a base for international terrorism. 
However, al-Yawar added, until the Iraqi security forces are 
fully trained and equipped, the Iraqis will not be ready to 
go after the PKK, at least not alone. 
 
As Kirkuk Goes, So Goes Iraq 
---------------------------- 
 
6. (C) On the Kirkuk issue, al-Yawar said that he welcomed 
the Turks' expression of concern since it helps the IIG focus 
on the city.  Al-Yawar told the Turks that Kirkuk was the 
first Iraqi city he visited as president, and he sees 
Kirkuk--with its ethnic mix--as "a little Iraq."  If the 
Iraqi government is successful in dealing with Kirkuk, then 
it will be successful in the country overall.  The Turks told 
PolMilOff that al-Yawar spent much of his later meeting with 
FonMin Gul on Kirkuk, and the President cited a 1975 census 
of the city which showed the population balance from most to 
least as Turkmen, Arabs, and Kurds.  Al-Yawar said he 
preferred to use this census as the basis for dealing with 
the current situation, i.e. to deal with Turkish complaints 
that Arabs (under Saddam) and Kurds (after Saddam) have been 
coming into the city and trying to wrest political and 
economic control from the Turkmen.  Al-Yawar said that people 
returning to the city after Saddam's purges should do so "on 
a legal basis." 
 
Turkmen in the New Iraq 
----------------------- 
 
7. (C) In the Turks' view, Al-Yawar was forthcoming on the 
issue of Turkmen representation in the new Iraq.  He told 
Sezer that "the Turkmen are our brothers," and said both the 
Iraqis and the U.S. had made mistakes in underrepresenting 
the Turkmen.  He said it was a mistake that the lone Turkmen 
representative on the IGC was not from the Iraqi Turkmen 
Front, and he said her performance in office was poor.  He 
pledged to work for greater Turkmen representation in the 
future of Iraq, including in government posts. 
 
Erdogan Warns Against Sectarianism 
---------------------------------- 
 
8. (C) Bozay and Alkan told us that President al-Yawar and PM 
Erdogan covered many of the same issues as in the Sezer 
meeting, but added that al-Yawar spent a good deal of time 
expressing his concern over the situation in Najaf and 
blasting Muqtada al-Sadr for not participating in the 
political process in Iraq.  For his part, Erdogan shared his 
view that the AKP opposes sectarianism, and that he hopes 
Iraq will work for the same goal that he seeks: a country 
whose citizens put their nationality before their sectarian 
preferences.  Erdogan and al-Yawar agreed that avoiding 
Sunni-Shia violence is a key goal for the new Iraq. 
 
Economic Issues: Second Border Crossing, Trucker Security, 
Pipeline Security, Water, and Visa Gripes 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
9. (C) In the larger delegation meeting, IIG FonMin Zebari 
told the Turks that Iraq supports opening a second border 
crossing with Turkey, and both sides agreed to technical 
talks on this issue.  According to our MFA sources, neither 
side pushed for a specific place, although each has a 
different site in mind.  On trucker security, FonMin Zebari 
said the IIG shares Turkish concerns, but admitted that Iraq 
cannot now guarantee the security of the truckers.  Zebari 
said that even his own safety and that of everyone else in 
the IIG are not guaranteed.  However, he told the Turks that 
the Mosul-Baghdad corridor seems to be the main place where 
insurgents are attacking truckers, and that MNF-I and the 
Iraqi security forces are working on their procedures for 
dealing with this particular stretch of road. 
 
10. (C) Iraqi Trade Minister Jabouri told the Turks that the 
IIG is committed to securing the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, once 
the source for one-third of Turkey's crude oil demand.  He 
reported that the IIG has an agreement with a private 
security firm, which among other steps is providing 17,000 
personnel to protect the pipeline. 
 
11. (C) IIG Minister of Water Resources Rashhid told his 
counterpart, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Guler, 
that water is vital to Iraq since 60% of its population is 
engaged in agriculture.  Despite Rashid's comments in ref b, 
MFA told us that the Iraqis showed no animosity toward the 
Turks on the water issue, and were seeking to make it a 
technical, rather than a political issue.  The two sides 
agreed to set up technical meetings (some on a trilateral 
basis with the Syrians) to exchange data on water usage and 
demand. 
 
12. (C) Turkish business leaders told al-Yawar in an Aug. 17 
breakfast meeting that they are deeply concerned about their 
security in Iraq, and also annoyed that the IIG has decided 
to institute a visa regime for Turkey.  On security, Zebari 
repeated the answer he gave to President Sezer in para. nine. 
 On the visa regime (which has not yet been implemented 
though it was officially announced July 1), Zebari said that 
Iraq has implemented this regime for all its neighbors (and 
indeed, for all 34 countries with which it is establishing 
relations) in an effort to secure Iraq's borders, but that 
this move was not/not aimed at Turkey.  Zebari said that Iraq 
is committed to maximum flexibility for Turks wishing to 
travel to Iraq, and that the IIG is looking into also issuing 
visas at the Turkish border. 
 
Comment: Turks Are Pleased, Await Allawi 
---------------------------------------- 
 
13. (C) If the Turks' account is to be believed, al-Yawar 
came to Ankara eager to establish good relations and to set a 
constructive tone for the future, the nearest term to include 
PM Allawi's visit here on Sept. 7.  The Turkish press seemed 
intent on blasting the Iraqis, especially on the visa issue, 
but the Turkish MFA does not seem overly concerned about this 
issue.  Rather, the GOT is pleased that, in their view, 
al-Yawar said the right things on almost every issue: Kirkuk, 
the PKK, the Turkmen, and the Mosul consulate.  End comment. 
EDELMAN