US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6818

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Identifier:	04ANKARA6818
Wikileaks:	View 04ANKARA6818 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Ankara
Created:	2004-12-08 11:43:00
Classification:	CONFIDENTIAL
Tags:	PREL PGOV TU MO KPAO KMPI
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006818 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU, MO, KPAO, KMPI 
SUBJECT: TURKISH FORUM FOR THE FUTURE ATTENDANCE 
 
 
(U) Classified by Political Counselor John Kunstadter, E.O. 
12958, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (U) MFA Planning Department Head Tezel confirmed on 
December 8 that FM Gul will not attend the December 11 Forum 
for the Future meeting in Rabat.  State Minister Besir Atalay 
will attend in Gul's stead.  Atalay's portfolio includes the 
State Statistics Institute, Press and Publications 
Directorate, the Turkish Cooperation and Development 
Institute, the Social Assistance and Solidarity Fund, 
Turkey's official radio, television and news agencies, and 
Turkey's Radio and Television Council. 
 
2.  (U) Economy Minister Babacan will also attend.  Tezel 
told us that the GOM also invited Finance Minister Unakitan, 
but he will not attend. 
 
3.  (C) Comment: Like his close political ally Gul, Atalay 
projects careful reasonableness with Western interlocutors 
but comes from the hard-core, Arab-oriented Islamist strain 
in AKP which has shown great suspicion toward BMENAI.  While 
Gul is certainly caught up in last-minute Turkish lobbying 
for an EU summit decision Dec. 17 to open accession 
negotiations with Turkey, the decision to send Atalay 
reflects continuing GOT diffidence toward the initiative. 
End comment. 
EDELMAN