US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2162

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002162 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2015 
TAGS: PREL, SY, LE, TU, PTER, SYRIA 
SUBJECT: TURKISH PRESIDENT SEZER'S TRIP TO SYRIA 
 
REF: A. DAMASCUS 1833 
 
     B. DAMASCUS 1688 
 
 (U) Classified by DCM Robert Deutsch, E.O. 12958, reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary:  President Sezer's April 13-14 visit appears 
indeed to have been symbolic (ref A), aside from his short 
one-on-one meeting with Asad.  Turkish MFA officials are 
claiming that Sezer urged Asad to finish Syrian withdrawal 
from Lebanon by the end of the month and received Asad's 
pledge to do so.  The Turks portray the visit as providing 
more impetus for what they assert is Asad's push for reforms. 
 End Summary. 
 
Lebanon 
------- 
 
2. (C) MFA Middle East DG Celikkol asserted to DCM that in 
their one-on-one meeting, Sezer told Asad Syria should 
completely withdraw military and intelligence units from 
Lebanon before Lebanese elections.  Asad reportedly replied 
they would be out well before April 30 and that he will call 
Sezer when the pullout is finished.  Asad told Sezer that 
when the pullout is complete, Syria will seek a UNSCR saying 
it has fulfilled UNSCR 1559; failing a UNSCR, the Syrians 
will seek a UNSC Presidential statement. 
 
3. (C) Asad omitted the mention of the Lebanon discussion 
from his press statement after the Sezer meeting; Celikkol 
was quick to point out that Sezer mentioned Lebanon in his 
statement. 
 
4. (C) There was no discussion of internal Lebanese politics; 
neither side raised Hizbullah nor upcoming elections. 
 
Syria's Internal Reforms 
------------------------ 
 
5. (C) Sezer reportedly encouraged Asad to "continue" with 
internal reforms.  Celikkol said Asad told Sezer he would 
undertake more reforms starting with the Ba'ath Party 
Congress (ref B).  With great satisfaction, Celikkol claimed 
that Sezer's visit had strengthened the hand of Asad and 
other reformers against hardliners who want to maintain the 
status quo.  Celikkol recalled that during his 2004 visit to 
Turkey, Asad told him at the airport that he had seen a 
modern and advanced Turkey, different from what some advisors 
had told him.  This, Celikkol concluded, demonstrates the 
importance of the Turkish/Syrian contact for reformists. 
 
Terrorism 
-------- 
 
6. (C) Asad raised the possibility of bilateral cooperation 
against what he termed "fundamentalist terrorism."  According 
to Celikkol, Asad told Sezer that "not every Ba'athist is a 
Saddamist" and the two countries should work together to 
encourage secularists.  Sezer reportedly replied that Turkey 
is pleased with SARG cooperation against the PKK but that 
Syria needs to cooperate against terrorism with "other 
countries." 
 
7. (C) Comment: Turkish MFA is promoting the Sezer visit as a 
net positive for -- as the MFA asserts -- strengthening Asad. 
 FM Gul has asserted publicly, as the MFA declared to us 
again after this visit, that Asad should be supported as a 
reformer  What the visit achieved in material terms for 
Turkey is an open question, but several leading Turkish 
columnists, including commentators often critical of the 
U.S., have sharply criticized Sezer for going and questioned 
why Turkey should put itself in the position of helping Asad 
break his isolation.  At the same time, given a renewed left- 
and right-nationalist surge in Turkey, many in the Turkish 
state and public see another positive to the visit: 
assertion of Turkish independence of action.  End Summary. 
EDELMAN