US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1960

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001960 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: TURKISH MFA ON IRAQ: NEIGHBORS MEETING, SUPPORT 
FOR ITG, PKK DEMARCHE 
 
REF: A. BAGHDAD 1435 
 
     B. FBIS GMP 20050405000015 
 
Classified By: Counselor for Political-Military Affairs Timothy A. Bett 
s for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (SBU) MFA Department Head for Iraq Avni Botsali briefed 
PolMilOff April 5 on plans for the next Iraq neighbors 
meeting, which will take place in Istanbul April 18-19. 
Participants will be Iraq, its neighbors, and Egypt.  Senior 
officials will convene on the 18th, foreign ministers on the 
19th.  Whether there is an ITG in place or not, Turkey plans 
of course to invite the Iraqi foreign minister, but in any 
case does not plan to invite the prime minister to that 
meeting.  Botsali said as soon as the ITG is formed, PM 
Erdogan will invite his counterpart to Ankara. 
 
2. (SBU) Botsali said Turkey is pleased with the appointment 
of Hachim al-Hassani as Speaker of the TNA, and the GOT hopes 
this development means that ITG formation is soon to follow. 
Botsali reported that Turkey's Ambassador to Baghdad, Unal 
Cevikoz, has already paid a courtesy call on al-Hassani, and 
that the Turkish Speaker of Parliament, Bulent Arinc, has 
already sent a formal message of congratulations to the Iraqi 
Speaker. 
 
3. (C) Finally, Botsali reported that Amb. Cevikoz called on 
IIG FonMin Zebari April 5 to demarche the Iraqis on PKK 
meetings planned for early April in northern Iraq (see ref 
a), but he did not yet have a readout.  (Comment: An April 5 
Mesopotamian News Agency story claims one of the two meetings 
referred to by the Turks concluded April 4--see ref b.  End 
comment.) 
 
4. (U) Iraq posts minimize considered. 
EDELMAN