US embassy cable - 05ANKARA4059

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, PGOV, TU, IZ, PKK 
SUBJECT: TURKS PROPOSE AUG. 2 FOR TRILATERAL PKK TALKS, 
REQUEST FURTHER INFO ON DELEGATIONS AND AGENDA 
 
 
Classified By: A/DCM James R. Moore for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) This is an action request--please see para. five. 
 
2. (C) MFA Director General for Security Affairs Hayati Guven 
convoked PolMilCouns and PolMilOff July 12 to discuss PKK 
trilateral talks.  Guven proposed Aug. 2 as a target date for 
the talks, and explained that given the Turkish summer 
holiday schedule it would be difficult for the GOT to 
participate beyond that date unless the talks were held in 
September, which Turkey definitely does not want.  (COMMENT: 
Neither do we.  END COMMENT.)  PolMilCouns responded that we 
would pass on this proposal to both Washington and Baghdad, 
and that the compilation of the Iraqi delegation would likely 
drive the timing of the meeting.  He suggested Guven have the 
Turkish embassy in Baghdad discuss the matter with our 
embassy there and with the ITG.  Guven agreed to do so. 
 
3. (C) Guven noted that he or another MFA DG would likely 
lead the Turkish delegation rather than GOT Special Envoy 
Koruturk; PolMilCouns agreed that Koruturk was too senior for 
HOD.  Guven asked approximately how large the U.S. delegation 
was likely to be.  We responded that it would likely include 
representatives from State, Justice, FBI, and DoD.  Guven 
requested that we provide a non-paper of which entities were 
likely to be represented from the U.S. side.  We said we 
would pass the request to Washington, and also check if 
Embassy Baghdad had such a list in mind for the Iraqis. 
 
4. (C) Guven noted that the GOT would have a relatively short 
lead time between the July 18-20 meeting of the Iraq 
neighbors' interior ministers in Istanbul and the PKK talks. 
This is why the Turks were focusing on Aug. 2--to allow 
themselves about two weeks' lead time.  Guven asked if we had 
a notional agenda for the talks in mind beyond the law 
enforcement/extradition theme for this round; we responded 
that we will ask Washington and Baghdad.  Finally, Guven 
noted that the issue of whether we could provide Turkish 
language interpretation would affect the composition of the 
Turkish delegation.  He said that Turkey could be prepared to 
send an English-speaking delegation if necessary, but worried 
that differing language abilities might skew what other GOT 
agencies would take away from the meeting. 
 
5. (C) Action request: Embassy requests that Washington (and 
Baghdad as noted) provide the following: 
 
--Confirm Aug. 2 is an acceptable date.  (COMMENT: We 
recommend doing so.  END COMMENT.) 
 
--Notional list of USG agencies to be represented at the 
talks, with approximate numbers if available.  If Embassy 
Baghdad can provide a similar list for the Iraqis, so much 
the better. 
 
--Notional agenda 
 
--Information on whether we will be able to provide Turkish 
language interpretation. 
 
6. (U) Iraq REOs minimize considered. 
MCELDOWNEY