US embassy cable - 05ANKARA500

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000500 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2010 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: CHARGE URGES TURKS TO PRODUCE POSITIVE STATEMENT 
FOLLOWING JAN. 30 ELECTIONS IN IRAQ 
 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) MFA Director General for the Middle East Oguz Celikkol 
called in Charge Jan. 28 to discuss the upcoming elections in 
Iraq.  Celikkol provided us with MFA's Jan. 28 statement on 
the elections (see para. 3).  Celikkol covered familiar 
Turkish ground: the election process in Kirkuk as well as its 
hope that even if Sunnis do not/cannot participate in large 
numbers in the election itself, the winners in the election 
will reach out to them in the process of forming the ITG and 
drafting the constitution. 
 
2. (C) Celikkol said that the GOT will likely reach a 
decision on Jan. 31 regarding the tone and content of a 
post-election statement.  Charge urged that the GOT seek to 
release as positive a statement as possible based on the 
events of Jan. 30.  Just as we are working to bring the 
different ethnic and religious communities together in Iraq 
as it moves forward, the international community must also 
pull together to support the Iraqis.  Celikkol took the 
point, emphasizing the Turkish view (also made in the GOT 
statement below) that after the election the different groups 
in Iraq should put aside their own agendas and work together 
as Iraqis.  Charge agreed. 
 
3. (U) MFA STATEMENT ON THE IRAQI ELECTIONS (INFORMAL EMBASSY 
TRANSLATION): 
 
BEGIN TEXT 
 
Turkish Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
Information Department 
NO- 13 
Jan. 28, 2005 
 
Press Release 
 
It has already been almost 2 years that the previous regime 
in Iraq changed--a turning point for the history of Iraq and 
the Middle East. 
 
Iraq will enter an important phase to form its future after 
January 30th elections. The Transitional Parliament and 
Government to be formed after the elections will undertake 
responsibility of carrying out a constitutional process, 
which will identify the future of Iraq. 
 
January 30th elections, which can pave way for a political 
transition, is an opportunity to set Iraq's national unity 
and territorial integrity on a secure ground, to establish 
permanent peace and stability in the region, to provide the 
Iraqi nation with a peaceful and healthy society and with a 
democratic and representative government. 
 
We are aware that the elections are to take place under very 
difficult conditions with serious problems for participation 
of some groups - inseparable parts of the nation - in the 
elections. These problems are to be solved in a fair and 
realistic manner with a view to social peace and stability in 
Iraq. Issues such as how much the people could participate in 
the elections and whether the nation's democratic decisions 
have been reflected in the election results in a fair and 
balanced manner, can only be assessed after the election 
results are announced. 
 
Turkey has provided support to this political process based 
on preservation of Iraq's national unity and integrity in 
Iraq's Neighbor Countries Meetings, in multilateral platforms 
like UN, EU, NATO, OSCE, and Organization of Islamic 
Conferences, and in bilateral contacts and meetings. With the 
same understanding and within the framework of agreement 
between the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq and IOM, 
arrangements have been made to allow Iraqi citizens to vote 
in Turkey. 
 
It has been observed that some time after the January 30th 
elections, issues like public order and security and how the 
most comprehensive representation of all groups of the Iraqi 
nation in participating in the political and drafting process 
of the constitution shall be looked into on a priority basis. 
 
At this stage, it is important that international society be 
sensitive to the rights and expectations of the Iraqi nation, 
and that the Iraqi nation act with responsibility in meeting 
the expectations of the international community for peace, 
security and stability, especially of the neighboring 
countries. We call on all groups of the brother Iraqi nation 
to use their right to vote, which is among very first 
citizenship rights and principal conditions of legitimacy, to 
positively evaluate this opportunity which can be the basis 
for a new national reconciliation in Iraq, and to promote the 
country's interests over the interests of small groups at 
this vital stage for the future of their society and their 
country by acting on the principles of citizenship and 
national understanding. 
 
In the same way, we call on the Interim Iraqi Government, all 
political leaders of the Iraqi nation, the coalition forces 
in Iraq, the United Nations and the international community 
in general to act with sensitivity and to take effective 
measures to solve deficiencies and problems originating from 
current conditions before they become a danger to the 
political process and have a negative impact on internal 
peace in Iraq. 
 
END TEXT 
 
4. (U) Baghdad and REOs minimize considered. 
DEUTSCH