US embassy cable - 05ANKARA4215

S E C R E T ANKARA 004215 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2025 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, MOPS, PGOV, TU, IZ, EUN, PKK 
SUBJECT: TURKISH MILITARY ON PKK: CALM DOWN PUBLIC 
RHETORIC AND GET SERIOUS ON COUNTERMEASURES 
 
REF: ANKARA 4186 
 
Classified By: CDA Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (a), (b), (d) 
 
1.  (S)  Summary:  In an extended one-on-one meeting 
July 20 with Turkish D/CHOD Basbug, Charge cautioned 
against an accelerating public dispute between Turkey 
and the US over PKK countermeasures, including &hot 
pursuit8 into Iraq.   Basbug agreed on the importance 
of calming down public rhetoric and pointed to his own 
remarks to the press on July 19 that had been intended 
to do just that.  At the same time, he stressed the 
dire nature of the PKK problem that Turkey is facing, 
and warned that lack of real action by the United 
States against PKK safe havens in northern Iraq would 
undermine relations with Turkey in the short term 
while also threatening medium and long-term stability 
in Iraq.  Basbug stated emphatically that he was not 
calling for a US military assault against the PKK 
camps, but rather USG interventions to convince 
Iraqi Kurdish leaders to constrain PKK operations. 
Basbug stressed Turkish understanding that &hot pursuit8 
would necessitate prior Iraqi consent and characterized 
this as a course of last resort.  He is looking to the 
September meeting in Ankara with CENTCOM Commander 
Abazaid and EUCOM Commander Jones to provide an answer 
to the Turkish request for hot pursuit options. 
End Summary. 
 
2.  (S)  Following several days of frenzied press 
coverage on the PKK issue, Charge called on Basbug to 
urge that he and other Turkish officials take action 
to quiet the public controversy.  Charge pointed to 
the barrage of press coverage in both Ankara and 
Washington on the issue of Turkish hot pursuit of PKK 
terrorists into Iraq and stressed that allowing the 
controversy -- and the dangerous rhetoric -- to continue 
would be very destructive.  Basbug agreed and noted 
that his July 19 press briefing had been specifically 
designed to calm things down.  He explained that his 
prepared remarks had focused on the nature of the PKK 
problem in Turkey and had contained nothing about hot 
pursuit and the United States.  When asked about hot 
pursuit during the Q&A, he stressed Turkey,s 
understanding that Iraqi consent would be required 
and noted that this was a course of last resort. 
In response to a query about US actions against the PKK, 
Basbug noted that the US, despite operational constraints, 
very much wanted to help Turkey and he cited the &new8 
order to capture PKK (actually, the addition of PKK 
names to the high value target list in Iraq) as 
evidence of US good intentions. 
 
3.  (S)  When Charge pointed to inflationary remarks 
made by Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Gul 
on &hot pursuit8 earlier in the day, Basbug said that 
they were both traveling outside Turkey and suggested 
that once they saw his own statement, their rhetoric 
would tone down. 
 
4.  (S)  Basbug said that the upcoming September meeting 
of Generals Abazaid and Jones in Ankara was of critical 
importance.  He argued that we must use this meeting to 
resolve ) positively ) the hot pursuit issue and other 
PKK-related operational questions.  In particular, he 
noted the need to shut down the C-4 depots in Iraq 
being used by the PKK in their current wave of attacks 
in Turkey.  Basbug also suggested that he would be 
prepared to consider joint operations against the PKK 
within Turkey.  He replied that he would certainly 
be willing to consider the matter, along with specific 
options further, but caveated his response by noting 
that the final decision would rest with CHOD Ozkok. 
 
5.  (U)  Iraq REOs minimize considered. 
 
 
MCELDOWNEY