US embassy cable - 04ANKARA7042

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007042 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: TURKS REACH OUT TO IRAQI SUNNIS, URGE THEM TO 
PARTICIPATE IN POLITICAL FUTURE OF IRAQ 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) This is an action request.  Please see para. 10. 
 
2. (C) Summary: Turkey is reaching out to Iraqi Sunni groups 
and urging their participation in January elections and in 
forming a democratic Iraq.  The GOT hosted a delegation from 
the Islamic Council of Sunni Foundations Dec. 15-16, and has 
also reached out to the Iraqi Islamic Party.  The Sunni 
council delegation told the Turks that some coalition actions 
have hurt Sunnis deeply, but they are--in the Turks' 
opinion--ready to consider participation in the political 
process and to cooperate with the coalition and ISF.  The 
delegation told the Turks they were aggrieved that some 70 
imams (they claim) were victims of false arrest.  We cannot 
evaluate from here the bona fides of the group the Turks 
entertained (nor their request), but Turkish outreach to 
Iraqi Sunnis is genuine and we should try to support their 
efforts.  End summary. 
 
3. (C) MFA Director General for the Middle East Oguz Celikkol 
called in DCM on Dec. 17 to brief us on Turkish efforts to 
reach out to Sunni groups in Iraq.  He specifically reported 
that on Dec. 15-16 Turkey hosted a delegation from the 
Islamic Council of Sunni Foundations.  (NOTE: We cannot be 
sure of the name, which was translated from Arabic to Turkish 
to English.  Celikkol verified that the group was not/not the 
Muslim Ulema Council, about which Embassy Baghdad has 
previously reported.  If needed we can go back for further 
clarification and pass the Arabic name on to Embassy Baghdad. 
 END NOTE.)    Celikkol said that under Saddam the 
organization had come under the Iraqi "Ministry of 
Foundations."  The group claimed to control 900 mosques and 
masjids (which Celikkol described as "smaller mosques") and 
9,000 imams in Iraq. 
 
4. (C) Celikkol added that Turkish parties will also provide 
party development and campaign training for 20-25 members of 
the Iraqi Islamic Party, and that the party will also set up 
a representative office in Istanbul.  We were also told by 
the MFA Iraq Desk this week that the Public Administration 
Institute for Middle East in Ankara will offer a crash course 
on elections for Iraqi Sunni political parties. 
 
5. (C) Celikkol said that Council representatives and Turkish 
officials had frank conversations regarding the elections and 
the political future of Iraq.  Though Council members at 
first appeared determined to boycott the upcoming elections, 
Turkish officials strongly urged them to reconsider and 
reminded them that a Sunni boycott would only hurt this 
population.  Though the Dec. 15 deadline for party 
registration for the election had passed, GOT officials urged 
the Council to review the current candidate lists, pick one 
of their choosing, and then campaign on its behalf. 
According to Celikkol, the Turks' efforts "made headway" with 
the Council members. 
 
6. (C) However, Celikkol said, Council members complained to 
the Turks that certain coalition activities had made Sunni 
participation difficult.  The delegation claimed that: 
 
--Coalition bombing of cities had put Sunnis on edge and made 
their lives very difficult; 
--Killing of people in mosques by CF had "infuriated" the 
people; and 
--CF search mosques disrespectfully, wearing combat boots and 
using dogs.  They claimed more than 50 mosques were so 
searched throughout the country. 
 
According to Celikkol, the Sunni group was especially upset 
about CF operations in Abu Hanife Masjid and Imam Azam 
Mosque.  The Council members told the Turks they are ready to 
cooperate with the coalition to search the mosques.  DCM 
responded that the coalition as much as possible has worked 
with ISF to take the lead in searching mosques, and that we 
have worked hard to be respectful of Iraq's mosques and holy 
sites. 
 
7. (C) The Council also claimed to the Turks that the 
coalition has arrested about 70 Sunni imams without providing 
reasons.  The Council delegation told the Turks that they had 
only been arrested because Shia rivals made false complaints 
to the authorities, claiming the imams were connected to 
terrorism.  The Council claimed it had provided lists to both 
IIG and Coalition Forces, but that no information on the 
status of the imams had been forthcoming. 
 
8. (C) Celikkol--who was careful not to say that he believed 
everything the delegation had told him--told the DCM that 
"our impression is that (the Council) is ready to cooperate 
with you and the ISF."  He said they are ready to talk to the 
USG directly.  He added that the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad 
could help establish this contact if necessary.  However, he 
said that a "goodwill gesture" such as releasing some of the 
detained imams would help build confidence.  He added 
candidly that such a gesture would also increase the Turks 
credibility with this group, and thus serve to increase 
Turkish ability to press Sunnis to participate in the 
political process.  Celikkol said that Turkish links to 
religious Iraqi Sunni groups go back to the Ottoman Empire, 
and added that these groups are looking for friends now. 
 
9. (C) Celikkol said that Turkey will continue to reach out 
to Iraqi Sunnis and try to convince them to be part of a 
democratic Iraq.  The GOT has instructed its embassy in 
Baghdad to learn more about certain Sunni groups and possibly 
invite them to Turkey for talks.  Celikkol requested that we 
let him know if we have identified certain Sunni groups we 
would like the Turks to cultivate.  DCM responded that we 
will report this and the requests of the Sunni delegation to 
Washington and Baghdad. 
 
10. (C) Action request: We cannot evaluate from Ankara the 
bona fides of the Islamic Council of Sunni Foundations nor 
its request to release certain imams (if in fact their story 
is even accurate).  We do believe, however, that Turkish 
outreach to the Sunnis is genuine and part of their overall 
Iraq policy that matches ours: a whole, free, democratic 
Iraq.  Thus we request that Baghdad and Washington evaluate 
the Turks' request regarding the imams and also about the 
Council's apparent offer to meet us face-to-face (if they do 
not do so already).  We also request that if there are other 
Sunni groups that we would want the Turks to try to 
influence, please work with the Turkish embassy in Baghdad or 
with us to put the two together. 
 
11. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
EDELMAN