US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1174

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001174 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU 
SUBJECT: OFFICIAL RECEPTION IN SE TURKEY:  WARM AND 
FRIENDLY PARANOIA 
 
REF: ADANA 0030 
 
This cable is from Amconsul Adana. 
 
Classified by John W. Kunstadter, POL Counselor, for reasons 
1.4(b) & (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary:   While traveling through the region February 
22-25, poloff was greeted warmly by government officials who 
all brought up, in one way or another, the recent media 
scrutiny of the bilateral relationship.  Underlining that 
allies with fifty years of partnership under their collective 
belt could certainly weather a few differences in opinion, 
they each sought to create a friendly atmosphere.  The warmth 
of reception, however, did not translate into great openness 
in all cases.  Asked about a recent altercation in the 
streets of Siirt, for example, the public prosecutor there 
said it was an "internal matter" and an "inappropriate 
question."  Batman's Deputy Security Director was very 
affable, but glossed over questions about security issues in 
the region.  Finally, security officials following poloff's 
movements in the region (both literally and figuratively) 
demonstrated that, despite our alliance, Turkey still harbors 
deep suspicions about what we're up to when traveling in the 
region.   End summary. 
 
2. (C) Politicians and government officials in southeast 
Turkey were clearly following last week's back-and-forth in 
the national media about U.S.-Turkish relations and the 
utility or futility of anti-Americanism.  While traveling 
through the region February 22-25, poloff was greeted warmly 
by officials ranging from the Diyarbakir Governor to the 
Batman Deputy Security Director to the Siirt Public 
Prosecutor, each of whom brought up, in one way or another, 
the recent media scrutiny of the bilateral relationship. 
Underlining that allies with fifty years of partnership under 
their collective belt could certainly weather a few 
differences in opinion, they each sought to create a friendly 
atmosphere, and -- for a change -- did not bring up topics 
such as the lack of U.S. action against the PKK in northern 
Iraq.  It was as if word from Ankara had instructed them to 
be on their most polite behavior. 
 
3. (C) The  warmth of reception, however, did not translate 
into great openness in all cases.  Well into a friendly 
discussion with Alattin Soylu, Siirt's public prosecutor, 
poloff inquired into recent events that reportedly brought 
1000 people into Siirt's streets in support of two families 
who wanted to bury their daughters, allegedly slain PKK 
militants, in town, but were prevented from doing so 
(reftel).  Asked about the size and nature of the altercation 
in the streets, rather than about the operation that resulted 
in the death of the two alleged militants, Soylu replied that 
this is "an internal matter."  Even coming from the 
representative of an ally, he said, he did not consider it an 
"appropriate" question.  Outside of completely shutting down 
this factual question about an issue of law and order, Soylu 
was otherwise very moderate in the tone and content of his 
discourse. 
 
4. (C) As for the Batman Deputy Security Director, 
accompanied by two "note-takers," he gave poloff a rosy view 
of security in the province.  In response to a question about 
press reports of some 22 Hizbullah militants being arrested 
around Turkey, some of them in Batman, he replied that this 
was not big news nor a sign of the group attempting to 
reorganize.  These arrests orders were issued for "past 
activities," he said without elaborating, not for any current 
planning efforts.  Petty crime is down by 10 percent, and the 
province is free of organized crime, outside of a "little 
heroin" coming through.  There is no PKK terrorism to speak 
of, he said, though he acknowledged that the approaching 
spring weather might change that as militants "crawl out of 
their caves."  (Bio Note:  After the meeting, one of the 
notetakers accompanied us to the door and identified himself 
as having served as a liaison with Legatt in Ankara. --note: 
I need to add name here, don't have it with me -- 
Additionally, he has served in United Nations missions to 
Liberia and Bosnia, where he had had a good experience and 
spoke enthusiastically about cooperating with U.S. police 
officers. For future reference, he could perhaps serve as a 
useful liaison for law enforcement issues in Batman, if 
needed.  End note.) 
5. (C) Security officials following poloff's movements in the 
region (both literally and figuratively) demonstrated that, 
despite our alliance, Turkey still harbors deep suspicions 
about what we're up to when traveling in the region.   All 
might be quiet on the Batman front, but the Security 
Directorate still felt compelled to stage six policemen in a 
large and conspicuous van parked in front of the women's NGO 
we visited there; this in addition to the police escorting 
our Consulate vehicle through town.  Police, serving as 
"protection," followed us to our meetings in Diyarbakir and 
took great pains to get the exact name of the director of a 
pre-kindergarten and women's center we visited.  Just as the 
Deputy Security Director in Batman had one unidentified 
"note-taker" along with the policeman mentioned above, the 
Deputy Governor in Diyarbakir is routinely accompanied by an 
English-speaking police official in meetings with poloff. 
After a visit with the DYP Mayor in Hasankeyf - where one day 
earlier local mayors had staged a press event protesting the 
proposed Ilisu Dam Project that threatens to submerge the 
town and the story its ancient artifacts and architectural 
structures have preserved - poloff visited the ruins of an 
ancient castle overlooking the town and the Tigris?  River. 
Two "guides" accompanying us up the mountain later identified 
themselves as Jandarma, and one of them had been snapping 
shots of us as we made our way around the ruins. 
 
6. (C) Comment:  The generally friendly reception was welcome 
and indicated that government officials are perhaps 
internalizing the costs of the excessively anti-American 
attitudes that had surfaced recently.  Nevertheless, our 
friends in the southeast would be just as happy to keep their 
friends from Adana at arm's length when it comes to sharing 
information about current events in the region.  The 
atmosphere created by the close police "protection" can be 
heavy for Consulate officers, let alone for local contacts. 
As Turkey gets closer to EU membership, it may realize that 
there will be fewer and fewer events they will be able to 
characterize as solely "internal matters." 
EDELMAN