US embassy cable - 05ANKARA6233

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006233 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TREASURY FOR OTI - RLEBENSON 
NSC FOR MCKIBBEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2015 
TAGS: PTER, KTFN, PREL, PREF, IZ, PKK 
SUBJECT: TURKISH MFA ON COOPERATION AGAINST PKK 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 186669 
     B. ANKARA 5448 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4(b) an 
d (d). 
 
This is an action request. See para 12. 
 
This cable was cleared by Office Director Silliman. 
 
1. (S) Summary: In a meeting with visiting EUR/SE Director 
Doug Silliman, Turkish MFA Director General for Security 
Affairs Hayati Guven provided a list of seven PKK names that 
the GOT recommends we jointly target in Western Europe, all 
of which are the subject of Interpol red notices.  Three of 
the seven names on the GOT list were also on the U.S. list 
passed to the GOT on September 15.  Silliman agreed the U.S. 
would evaluate and propose joint demarches to appropriate 
European capitals. The U.S. will have to work hand-in-hand 
with the Turks to develop files sufficiently compelling to 
prompt action by European law enforcement; this could include 
a need for further consultations. End Summary. 
 
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PKK Individuals 
--------------- 
 
2. (S) Silliman, accompanied by Acting DCM and Acting 
EconCouns, met with Ambassador Guven October 12.  Silliman 
shared ref a talking points with Guven, and said Washington 
had instructed U.S. Embassies to deliver them to European 
governments.  Referring to the GOT response to the Bryza 
non-paper on enhanced cooperation against PKK and to the list 
of names provided to MASAK September 15, Guven provided a 
list of seven PKK names which the GOT recommends be the of 
our efforts to secure enhanced cooperation in Western Europe: 
Riza Altun, Zubeyir Aydar, Sakine Cansiz, Remzi Kartal, 
Nuriye Kesbir, Ali Matur, and Hikmet Tabak. Guven did not go 
into individual names except to emphasize the importance to 
Turkey of action against Riza Altun, the PKK's "central 
banker," who lives in Paris.  He said it if the U.S. could 
help convince the French to take action against Altun, it 
would be a major coup against the PKK.  Guven made the 
general comment that Turkish "authorities" believed that many 
of the U.S. names were secondary operatives, action against 
whom would not be a significant blow to the PKK.  Silliman 
responded that the names we had proposed were the result of a 
vetting process with a focus on names the U.S. thought the 
Europeans might realistically act against, on the basis of 
these individuals' criminal activity.  Guven claimed that the 
GOT-provided names could be pursued on the basis of their 
criminal activity, using the information in the Interpol Red 
Notices (the list, which Post will fax to EUR/SE, includes 
some basic biodata and the red notice reference numbers for 
each name). Silliman undertook that the U.S. would evaluate 
the Turkish list and propose joint demarches on specific 
cases Embassy Ankara.  If necessary there could be further 
bilateral discussions to refine the list. 
 
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PKK Organizations 
----------------- 
 
3. (C) With regard to the PKK-linked organizations cited in 
the GOT reply to the Bryza non-paper, Silliman differentiated 
between the two U.S.-based organizations and those in Europe. 
 Guven agreed to Silliman's request to seek additional 
information that would assist U.S. law enforcement in 
evaluating whether these organizations had violated U.S. law. 
 Even if they had not, Guven requested that U.S. authorities 
monitor them. 
 
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Media Outlets 
------------- 
 
4. (C) With regard to media outlets in Western Europe that 
support PKK, Guven said the GOT's priority remains 
Denmark-based Roj TV. He explained that the Danish MFA had 
referred the Turkish Ambassador to the independent media 
regulatory body, which in turn said it could only act against 
Roj TV if the Copenhagen Police Chief agreed that the TV 
station was supporting terrorism. Guven said the GOT had 
provided the Danish police with extensive translations of Roj 
broadcasts supporting terrorism and had also provided 
information on Roj TV executives' links to the PKK 
organization.  Guven asked that the U.S. Ambassador to 
Denmark consult with his Turkish counterpart before making a 
demarche to the Danish government.  Silliman said he would 
need to discuss this in Washington. 
5. (C) Silliman asked if Turkey knew the legal basis on which 
German law enforcement had closed Ozgur Politika, noting that 
knowing the legal basis might help the U.S. and Turkey in our 
joint approach to other Western European governments.  Guven 
said an independent German body that monitors extremist 
groups had included Ozgur Politika and other PKK-linked 
groups in its annual report, and Foreign Minister Gul had 
written German Foreign Minister Fischer to point this out and 
request German action.  Guven was not sure whether the Gul 
letter had played a role in the German action. 
 
---------------------------- 
U.S.-Iraq-Turkey Trilaterals 
---------------------------- 
 
6. (C) Guven said Turkey would like to have another 
trilateral meeting at his level in which an "action plan" 
against the PKK in northern Iraq could be hammered out, 
covering not only extraditions but also actions against PKK 
finance in Iraq, and other law enforcement actions.  Only 
then would technical-level experts continue the work. 
Silliman explained U.S. thinking that it would be desirable 
to do further work with the Iraqi bureaucracy to get them to 
better understand international legal obligations and 
processes.  Silliman also pointed out how difficult it will 
be for senior Iraqi officials to take action on these issues 
until after the elections and the formation of an Iraqi 
Government.  Guven took both points, saying Turkey could wait 
until after the elections and he strongly endorsed U.S. 
efforts to sensitize Iraqi officials to their international 
legal obligations. Guven was discouraged by Iraqi officials' 
comments at the trilaterals about Interpol red notices being 
mere "pieces of paper." 
 
7. (C) Silliman encouraged the GOT to engage the Iraqi 
leadership--including Iraqi Kurds--and Ministry of Justice to 
take action against PKK operatives.  Guven said at all 
high-level meetings the GOT makes this point "bluntly."  He 
said they would instruct their Ambassador in Baghdad to be 
active on this issue with a broader array of Iraqis. 
 
--------------------- 
Makhmour Refugee Camp: 
--------------------- 
 
8. (C) Silliman briefed Guven on recent deliberations within 
the USG on Makhmour.  Though the U.S. had not reached a 
decision on possible courses of action, Silliman described 
the possibility of local integration of the refugee 
population in Iraq in order to impede PKK activity in the 
camp.  As for UNHCR recognition that Makhmour no longer 
fulfilled a humanitarian mission, Guven said UNHCR had 
already reported this finding to the UN Secretariat. Silliman 
also discussed Makhmour with Deputy Turkish Special Envoy for 
Iraq Ethem Tokdemir on October 11, but Tokdemir did not 
respond substantively. 
 
-------------------- 
U.S. Image Improving 
-------------------- 
 
9. (C) Guven concluded the meeting by confirming that the 
recent visits and efforts of Secretary Rice and NSC Chairman 
Hadley as well as continued USG efforts on PKK were having an 
impact on the U.S. image in Turkey.  A clearly pleased Guven 
said additional steps will be "very, very helpful." 
 
--------------------------- 
Comment and Action Requests 
--------------------------- 
 
10. (C) The positive momentum continues in the bilateral 
discussions of enhanced cooperation agains the PKK in Europe. 
 We will need to work hard to keep things moving forward and 
are now approaching the most difficult stage: putting 
together meaningful case files with the Turks that will work 
in Europe.  This may require further in-country consultations 
to refine information and presentations.  Post urges 
Washington's close attention to keep things moving with a 
quick U.S. response on the names.  Follow-up actions are: 
 
--Evaluating the Turkish-proposed list of names and proposing 
demarche language to the GOT; 
 
--Considering instructing the U.S. Ambassador in Copenhagen 
to consult closely with the Turkish Embassy regarding Roj TV; 
 
--U.S. law enforcement analysis of Turkish information on 
U.S.-based PKK-linked organizations (once the GOT provides 
further information); 
 
--Requesting Embassy Berlin look into legal basis of recent 
German anti-PKK actions; 
 
--Reponding to the GOT's list of Europe-based PKK-linked 
organizations. 
 
 
 
 
MCELDOWNEY