US embassy cable - 05ANKARA354

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000354 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: GOT AND TURKMEN RAISE GRIEVANCES OVER KIRKUK 
 
REF: BAGHDAD 144 
 
Classified By: PolMil Counselor Timothy A. Betts for reasons 1.4 (b) an 
d (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: Concern about the supplemental registration 
process now underway in Kirkuk prompted the Iraqi Turkmen 
Front's Ankara representative to issue a statement 
threatening that the ITF would "review" its participation in 
Iraqi elections if it saw evidence of widespread fraud in the 
process.  He told us that the ITF and other parties in 
Iraq--including, he claimed, PM Allawi's--issued a similar 
statement in Kirkuk.  Other Iraqi Turkmen and MFA contacts 
cited similar concerns about pre-election developments in 
Kirkuk.  We encouraged our Turkmen interlocutors to 
participate.  End summary. 
 
2. (C) Prior to MFA Undersecretary Tuygan's January 18 
discussion of Iraq with the Ambassador (septel), MFA 
officials and two ostensibly separate Turkmen groups in 
Ankara raised their concerns with us over reports that the 
Independent Election Commission of Iraq (IECI) plans to 
register approximately 70,000 additional Kurds for the Jan. 
30 elections. 
 
3. (U) On Jan. 13, the Iraqi Turkmen Front Representative in 
Ankara, Ahmet Muratli, released a statement expressing 
concern over what it said were plans over the coming days to 
register 72,000 Kurds to vote in the election.  The statement 
said there was no way the IECI could verify the bona fides of 
these people in such a short time.  The statement went on to 
say that if the ITF saw evidence of significant fraud in the 
election process in Kirkuk, it would "review" its own 
participation in the elections. 
 
4. (C) PolMilOff spoke to Muratli on Jan. 14.  Muratli 
reported that he had released the statement based on one 
released in Kirkuk by ITF and 18 other parties, including, he 
said, PM Allawi's.  Muratli characterized the Kirkuk 
statement as essentially the same as his own.  He said that 
the parties wanted the IECI to have additional time to review 
the supplemental registration process (see reftel).  He urged 
the U.S. to work with the IECI to "learn the real facts" 
about "mass Kurdish migration" into Kirkuk and what he 
characterized as Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader 
Talabani and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) chief Barzani's 
intimidation and pressure on the former Kirkuk IECI chief, 
who reportedly refused to register Kurds who came to Kirkuk 
after April 2003.  PolMilOff responded that our Embassy in 
Baghdad and REO Kirkuk were following the situation closely, 
that the IECI had established procedures in place to ensure 
fair registration and voting, and that we were encouraging 
everyone of goodwill to participate in the elections and in 
building the new Iraq.  To pull out of the election would 
guarantee that the party would lose, not just in the election 
but afterwards.  Finally, under Article 58 of the TAL the 
Iraqi Transitional Government is responsible for dealing with 
the injustices perpetrated by Saddam in Kirkuk, a process 
independent of who wins the governorate council election 
there. 
 
5. (C) Muratli took the point, and said "hopefully our 
administration in Iraq will have cooler heads."  He said the 
ITF wants a successful election and that the party will 
continue to support the democratic process.  Muratli 
reiterated his familiar mantra that the ITF "never caused 
problems for the U.S." in Iraq, that the KDP and PUK were 
seeking to dominate Kirkuk at the expense of Iraq's Turkmen, 
and that the Turkmen are always asked "to be the 
understanding ones." 
 
6. (C) PolMilOff met separately Jan. 17 with representatives 
of the Iraqi Turkmen Culture and Cooperation Society in 
Ankara.  The president, Mahmut Kasapoglu, said the 
organization--established in 1959--is apolitical and assists 
Iraqi Turkmen both in Iraq and those who have settled in 
Turkey.  A Society member, Afsin Hurmuzlu, told us that that 
he had just returned from six months in Kirkuk.  He expressed 
concern over the supplemental registration process, and said 
a number of the Kurds who have recently moved into Kirkuk are 
from Iran, not Iraq.  He expressed disappointment that the 
TAL does not recognize Iraq's Turkmen. (NOTE: Not true: 
Article 9 guarantees the right of Iraqis to educate their 
children in Turkmen and other languages, though Arabic and 
Kurdish are the country's official languages.  END NOTE.) 
Though he praised U.S. efforts to deal with the situation 
there fairly, he said the perception among many Turkmen is 
that the U.S. favors Iraq's Kurds. 
7. (C) MFA Head of Department Avni Bostali told PolMilOff 
Jan. 14 that the GOT continues to watch Kirkuk closely, and 
cited reports that since April 2003 370,000 Kurds (sic) have 
moved into Kirkuk, and that the Kurdish parties have 
distributed 50,000 fake PDS cards in order for Kurds not 
originally from Kirkuk to register to vote there.  He added 
that he has also heard reports that Peshmerga have forced 
Al-Hadid Arab tribal members from their homes near Kirkuk so 
that Kurds can move in.  When PolMilOff pressed Botsali for 
further information on these reports, Botsali acknowledged 
that they were unconfirmed but said he would seek 
confirmation. 
 
8. (C) Comment: Turks (and Turkmen) have long harbored 
concerns about Kurdish intentions toward Kirkuk and the 
potential for ethnic conflict in the city.  These concerns 
have heightened as election day approaches.  We will continue 
to urge all parties to support the greatest possible 
participation in the elections.  End comment. 
 
9. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
EDELMAN