US embassy cable - 05ANKARA4873

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004873 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, MOPS, TU, IZ, PKK 
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S LATEST CONCERNS OVER KURDISH ASPIRATIONS 
IN IRAQ 
 
REF: STATE 149796 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nancy McEldowney, reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: Deputy Undersecretary for Security Affairs 
Nabi Sensoy called in Charge to raise Turkey's concerns over 
supposed Iraqi Kurdish demands that their right to 
self-determination be reflected in the new constitution, 
including their right to hold a referendum on the issue in 
eight years.  Sensoy asked for US confirmation of this demand 
and action to ensure such a right is not reflected in the 
constitution.  He also complained that PKK flags were flying 
above buildings in Baghdad and Tuz Khurmatu and that the 
Ocalan Cultural Center in Mosul is a PKK training facility. 
Charge pressed for Turkey to raise such concerns directly 
with the ITG.  When presented by Charge with the Framework 
for Action agreed up at the recent PKK Trilats (reftel), 
Sensoy said that despite Turkey's unhappiness with the 
difficult process of organizing the Trilats, Turkey was 
pleased that they established a process for further action 
and inquired about the status of bilateral efforts to block 
PKK media and financing in Europe.  END SUMMARY. 
 
CONSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS 
----------------------- 
 
2. (C) Kurdish Demands for self-determination: Deputy U/S 
Sensoy opened by noting Turkey's pleasure with the current 
TU/US bilateral cooperation on Iraq.  Turkey is accelerating 
its efforts to support the political process; meeting with 
political, religious and ethnic leaders from Iraq - including 
Aug. 15-18 meetings with Tal Afar leaders (septel).  He 
explained Turkey's concerns that Iraqi Kurds are demanding 
their right to self-determination be reflected in the new 
constitution, including the right to hold a referendum on 
autonomy in eight years.  If true, Sensoy said, this would 
represent a serious violation of all UN resolutions on Iraq 
designed to protect the country's territorial integrity and 
would be an issue for the US, which has publicly stated the 
importance of the country's territorial integrity.  Sensoy 
asked for confirmation of the Kurdish demands and for US 
assistance to ensure that they were not reflected in the 
constitution.  Charge stated that US and Turkey were in 
agreement on the territorial integrity issue and on the 
importance of keeping the Kurds in the political process. 
 
3. (C) Status of Kirkuk: Sensoy complained that the final 
status of Kirkuk may not be resolved in the constitution but 
left for resolution at a later date.  In the meantime, Kurds 
in Kirkuk are pressing for full and immediate implementation 
of Article 58 of the TAL.  According to Sensoy, Article 58 
cannot be considered in isolation, but must be viewed in 
concert with Article 53.  Responding to Charge's comment that 
it would be better to defer the Kirkuk issue than allow the 
political process to disintegrate, Sensoy said Turkey 
understands and agrees with this approach.  The important 
thing, Sensoy stated, is recognizing that this is a critical 
issue. 
 
PKK FLYING FLAGS/TRAINING TERRORISTS IN PLAIN VIEW 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
4. (C) According to Sensoy, Turkish sources have identified 
PKK flags flying in front of a building in the town of Tuz 
Khurmatu south of Kirkuk and on a Kurdistan Democratic 
Solutions Party (KDSP) building in Palestine Square in 
central Baghdad.  When asked, Sensoy admitted that he had not 
asked the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad to verify the sightings 
of these flags, but said he had seen a photo of one in a 
newspaper and believed in the veracity of his information. 
Sensoy added that Turkey has information that the Ocalan 
Cultural Center located in the Mansour neighborhood of Mosul 
is being used to give practical and ideological training to 
PKK members.  Sensoy expressed Turkey's distress about these 
issues and asked for US assistance to have the flags removed 
and to investigate the cultural center activities.  Charge 
agreed to take back the issue but pressed Turkey to raise 
these issues with the Iraqis. 
 
TRILATERAL TALKS USEFUL 
----------------------- 
 
5. (C) Charge passed a copy of the Framework for Action 
formulated at the Aug. 6 PKK Trilateral Talks in Washington. 
Sensoy had no comment on the specific points but voiced his 
displeasure with the difficult behavior of the Iraqis in the 
lead-up to the talks and the approach and language they 
employed during the talks.  Despite this, he expressed 
gratitude to DAS Bryza for ensuring that the talks took place 
and called the resulting process for further action useful. 
Charge emphasized that the broader process, the establishment 
of a direct relationship between Turkey and Iraq, was 
important.  The US would not be in Iraq forever and Turkey 
needed to prepare for that eventuality by developing a good 
relationship with Iraq - the sooner the better. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
6. (C) Post would welcome information from Embassy Baghdad or 
Washington to confirm or refute Turkish claims of PKK flags 
flying in Baghdad and Tuz Khurmatu, as well as any 
information regarding the activities conducted at the Ocalan 
Cultural Center in Mosul. 
MCELDOWNEY