US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2791

UNCLAS ANKARA 002791 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S CONTINUING OUTREACH TO IRAQI POLITICAL 
PARTIES 
 
 
 1. MFA announced on May 11 that its pre-election training 
program in electoral politics and governance for interested 
Iraqi political parties would continue.  The text of the 
announcement is at para 2.  At this point, each group that 
applies will come to Turkey separately.  Although not 
mentioned in the announcement, the first group to participate 
since the January 30 elections was the Patriotic Union of 
Kurdistan (PUK). 
 
2. Begin informal Embassy translation of MFA announcement: 
 
In cooperation with the High Election Council and TODAIE 
(Turkish Middle East and Public Administration Institution) a 
short-term program was organized in Ankara on election 
systems, democratic regime institutions and implementations 
for Iraqi political parties and groups before the 2005 
elections. 
 
Upon the request of various Iraqi political parties, it was 
decided to organize a similar activity following formation of 
the Iraqi Transitional Parliament and Government after the 
elections. 
 
Within this Framework, representatives of Iraqi political 
parties and groups will come to Turkey for a period of 1 week 
as of Monday May 9th 2005 to visit the political parties 
having representation at the TGNA (Turkish Grand National 
Assembly) and to attend seminars to be organized at the 
TODAIE, the Constitutional Court, the High Election Council 
and the (Ankara University) Faculty of Political Science. 
 
To date, the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Supreme Council of Islamic 
Revolution in Iraq, Islamic Party of Iraq and the Patriotic 
Union of Kurdistan have applied to benefit from the mentioned 
program. 
 
It is foreseen that the said program is open to participation 
of all of the Iraqi political groups participating in and 
supporting the democratic process. 
 
End text. 
 
3.  Baghdad minimized considered. 
 
EDELMAN