US embassy cable - 05ISTANBUL890

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 000890 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE, DS/DSS/OSAC AND DS/IP/EUR 
ANKARA FOR RSO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, SOCI, KISL, ASEC, TU, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: REFLEXIVE TURKISH NATIONALISM ENSNARES MASTERCARD 
 
 
This cable was coordinated with Embassy Ankara. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  After briefly basking in the reflected 
glow of last week's exciting UEFA Champion's League Final in 
Istanbul between Milan and Liverpool, corporate sponsor 
Mastercard has found itself dealing with a public relations 
nightmare in recent days following public criticism of 
inclusion in its match city guide of critical commentary 
about both Turkey and its revered founder, Mustafa Kemal 
Ataturk.  The offending passages, first publicized in the 
liberal Islamist daily "Zaman," addressed the issue of 
Turkish-Kurdish relations and the Armenian tragedy of 1915. 
Mastercard briefly closed its office following death threats 
against its General Manager, and has since officially 
apologized, noting that the offending material had not been 
reviewed by any company officials, but instead emanated from 
the "Lonely Planet," which produced the bulk of the 
publication.  The public reaction, which has also included 
calls for a boycott of the company by Turkish NGO's and the 
threat of public prosecution from the Istanbul Governor, 
highlights once again how close to the surface core 
nationalist reflexes and taboos are in the post-December 17th 
environment.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Shortlived Honeymoon: Mastercard officials, whose 
biggest problem last week was the deluge of calls they were 
receiving seeking tickets to the May 25th Milan-Liverpool 
match, faced a more serious crisis on May 30 when "Zaman" 
newspaper published extracts from the city guide the company 
distributed to its VIP guests and journalists.  In the 
"Lonely Planet" produced publication, which was written by an 
Istanbul-based British journalist, brief reference was made 
to the issue of minorities in Turkey, with sections covering 
both the Kurds and the Armenians.  The breezy narrative noted 
that "Ataturk banned any expression of Kurdishness in an 
attempt at assimilation," adding that major battles and 
atrocities followed in the 1920s and 1930s, with the deaths 
of more than 30,000 coming since 1984.  On the equally 
sensitive Armenian issue, the guide noted that while most 
Armenians had remained loyal to the Ottoman Empire, some had 
rebelled, engaging in terrorism that set off a powerful 
anti-Armenian backlash and the "widespread massacre of 
innocent Armenians in Istanbul and elsewhere." 
 
3. (SBU) Harsh Reaction: The publication sparked harsh 
reaction from most quarters, with Istanbul Governor Guler 
denouncing the "insult" to Turkey and warning that "such a 
sponsorship firm needs to be more cautious."  He added that 
officials would investigate the publication and determine if 
it constituted a criminal offense.  NGO's were also quick to 
leap on the bandwagon, with the Consumers' Union calling for 
a boycott of the company if it did not officially apologize. 
Turkish sports officials also expressed disappointment with 
the publication.  More worryingly, anonymous callers phoned 
in death threats, and nationalist groups indicated that they 
would organize protests, resulting in closure of Mastercard's 
office early this week and the provision of extra security 
for General Manager Ozlem Imece. 
 
4. (C) Damage Control: Since the story broke on May 30, 
Mastercard has been engaged in damage control.  In an initial 
announcement on May 30, the company admitted its mistake and 
noted it had contacted the "Lonely Planet" to demand the 
removal of "erroneous information" from the guide.  When this 
did not quell the furor, the company went further a day later 
and officially apologized.  In a public statement, General 
Manager Imece observed that she had not known of some of the 
material that was to be included in the publication, and was 
"deeply shocked" by it.  Privately she has told us that the 
company was blind-sided by the furor, having been focused on 
security for their VIP guests last week.  This, she said, was 
something that "no one expected." 
 
5. (C) Comment: Given the sensitivities that exist here, 
inclusion of any material on topics such as Turkey's minority 
policy or the Armenian tragedy in a sporting guide was in 
retrospect a serious mistake.  The harsh, instinctive 
reaction, however, shows the heightened sensitivities and 
hair-trigger nature of public discourse here since the 
December 17th EU decision.  Post RSO has reached out to 
Mastercard, which is an active member of the OSAC Advisory 
Council, to ensure that they are satisfied with the police 
response they have received and to provide assistance if 
needed.  End Comment. 
ARNETT