US embassy cable - 05ANKARA425

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2015 
TAGS: KPAO, PREL, PGOV, TU, IZ, UK 
SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKISH DAILY CLAIMS KIRKUK TO BE HANDED 
OVER TO KURDS 
 
REF: ANKARA 352 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Eric S. Edelman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) This is an urgent action request.  Please see para. 4. 
 
2. (U) The Jan. 26 edition of the Turkish daily "Milliyet" 
ran a story claiming that the U.S., the UK, the IIG, and 
Iraqi Kurds have reached a secret deal under which Kirkuk 
will come under Kurdish control following Jan. 30 elections. 
The article stated that under this agreement, elections for 
both a new Governorate Council as well as a referendum on 
whether Kirkuk should move under KRG control will be held in 
the province about 11 months after Jan. 30 elections.  The 
right to vote will be accorded to 108,000 Kurdish families 
who have moved to Kirkuk.  The article implies that in 
essence the modalities for the process outlined under Article 
58 of the TAL have already been replaced by this secret 
agreement.  The paper quotes PUK leader Jelal Talabani as 
saying "We have taken a written guarantee."  Similar, less 
extreme stores appeared throughout the Turkish press. 
 
3. (C) This report is false--as is common in the Turkish 
press--but it merits attention as it will feed both official 
and popular paranoia about Kirkuk and adversely affect the 
Turks' already-shaky faith in the TAL's Article 58 process. 
 
4. (U) Action request: Post plans to use the following points 
actively to refute these articles, unless we hear otherwise 
by OOB (local time) Jan. 27 (these are points largely drawn 
from the Spokesman's statement on Kirkuk of Jan. 13).: 
 
--There is no agreement, secret or otherwise, under which the 
IIG, HMG, the USG, or any other entity plans to "hand over" 
control of the Kirkuk region to Iraqi Kurds or any other 
group. 
 
--The United States supports the full implementation of the 
Transitional Administrative Law, including Article 58 related 
to Kirkuk. 
 
--Article 58 outlines a clear process under which the Iraqi 
Transitional Government will address this issue. 
 
--Efforts to remedy the unjust policies of the Saddam 
government in and around Kirkuk, which included the forced 
deportation of residents, confiscation of property and the 
manipulation of administrative boundaries, are internal 
issues for Iraqis to decide. 
 
--Irresponsible and inaccurate reporting such as this 
undermines the Turkish people's right to know the truth about 
Iraq and the efforts of the Iraqi people to determine their 
future. 
 
5. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
EDELMAN