US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6809

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2014 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, PGOV, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: TURKEY CONCERNED THAT PKK FRONT PARTIES ARE 
RUNNING IN IRAQ ELECTIONS 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) During their Dec. 7 courtesy call, incoming MFA 
Director General for the Middle East Oguz Celikkol told the 
DCM that Turkey is concerned that two PKK/Kongra-Gel front 
parties have apparently registered for the Iraqi elections. 
According to the Turkish non-paper, the two parties are the 
Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party and the Democratic 
Construction Party.  DCM responded that we would report this 
information to Baghdad and Washington, but he also encouraged 
the Turks to work through their embassy in Baghdad to bring 
the matter to the attention of the IECI and the IIG. 
Celikkol responded that MFA had already passed this 
information to its embassy there. 
 
2. (C) BEGIN TEXT OF MFA NON-PAPER: 
 
Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party: 
Leader F.M. Ahmet Kobi 
Reflection of PKK/KONGRA-GEL's efforts to legitimize itself 
in the political arena, 
Official website still contains photographs of Abdullah Ocalan 
All Executive Board members are former PKK terrorists 
 
Democratic Construction Party: 
Leader Esat Hamit Riyah Al-Abadi 
Connected to PKK 
Former leader of PCDK, Cengaver Hosyar Huseyin Ibrahim is a 
member of party's Executive Board. 
 
Both parties were denied participation in the National 
Conference in Baghdad on 15-18 August 2004 due to their links 
to PKK by the Iraqi Interim Government. 
 
END TEXT 
 
3. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
EDELMAN