US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6293

UNCLAS ANKARA 006293 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, TU, IT, YM, KMPI, KDEM 
SUBJECT: BMENAI:  DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE PLANNING 
CONTINUES APACE FOR NOVEMBER 25 MEETING 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 5081 
 
     B. STATE 237054 
 
1.  This is an action request.  See paragraph 3. 
 
2.  Summary:  Democracy Assistance Dialogue (DAD) co-sponsors 
Italy, Turkey and Yemen continue planning for a November 25 
meeting in Rome of the three FMs, and possibly the U.S., at 
which they will release a DAD work plan.  After the Rome 
meeting, the co-sponsors envision a series of issue-focused, 
NGO-centered meetings.  DAD financing is still not resolved. 
BMENAI is not understood in Turkey, and the MFA is reaching 
out to members of Parliament and others to explain it.  End 
Summary. 
 
DAD Planning Continues Apace for November 25 Meeting 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
3.  Turkish MFA Planning Department Head Tezel told us on 
November 4 that Democracy Assistance Dialogue (DAD) 
co-sponsors Italy, Turkey and Yemen continue their planning 
apace.  FMs from the three co-sponsors will meet in Rome 
November 25 (changed from the November 26 date in ref A). 
Tezel thought that the Italians might invite the U.S. to 
Rome in its capacity as G-8 President, but was uncertain 
about whether the Italian hosts have reached a final decision 
on the matter.  Action request:  We request the Department 
inform us whether Italy has invited us to the November 25 
meeting, and if so, our response. 
 
4.  Using section 1.5 of the G-8 Plan of Support for BMENAI 
as their "mandate," the co-sponsors are drafting a 
declaration to be released at the end of the Rome meeting 
laying out DAD's objectives and a work plan.  (Note:  This is 
five days after the November 20 date mentioned in ref B for 
governments to present the Government of Morocco with reports 
on initiatives in which they are involved.  We will point 
this date to the Turks.  End Note.)  Tezel expects easy 
consensus on the text.  One of the co-sponsors will present 
the declaration at the December 11 Forum for the Future 
meeting in Rabat.  Tezel said FM Gul plans to attend the 
Rabat meeting. 
 
5.  After the Forum for the Future meeting, Tezel said the 
DAD co-sponsors envision a series of issue-focused meetings, 
perhaps preceded by a larger meeting officially launching 
DAD.  While the Rome meeting will not include NGOs, Tezel 
said Turkey hopes for NGO "ownership" of DAD thereafter; he 
views DAD as an NGO-centered initiative. 
 
6.  DAD financing questions are not yet resolved.  Tezel 
noted that the Yemenis raised the financing issue in New York 
in September,  DAD co-sponsors are exploring the possibility 
of some G-8 financing; Tezel speculated that some funding 
could come from NGOs' existing funding.  The co-sponsors 
realize they will bear some financial burden, including 
events hosted in their countries. 
 
BMENAI Not Understood in Turkey 
------------------------------- 
 
7.  Tezel agrees that BMENAI is not understood in Turkey. 
There is a widespread misperception here that it is a U.S. 
plan to control Middle East oil and to convert Turkey from a 
secular state into a "moderate Islamic" state that would then 
serve as a "model" for other countries. 
 
8.  We attended an academic conference in late October that 
included a session on the "Turkey's Role in the Broader 
Middle East."  Both university professors who spoke vaguely 
addressed regional geopolitics -- and completely failed to 
focus on regional reform (one did not even mention the word 
reform). Neither mentioned DAD or Turkey's role in DAD, 
apparently because they did not know about it.  Neither 
mentioned any BMENAI-related meeting or text.  Tezel also 
attended and agreed that it was a poor performance. 
 
9.  Tezel told us the MFA is reaching out to members of 
Parliament and others to explain BMENAI.  The MFA is also 
pushing to insert BMENAI-related talking points into PM 
Erdogan's and FM Gul's public statements. 
EDELMAN