US embassy cable - 02ANKARA8633

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 008633 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
CENTCOM AND EUCOM: PLEASE PASS TO POLADS AND J-5 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2012 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINS, ECON, TU 
SUBJECT: CODEL HASTERT'S MEETINGS IN ANKARA 
 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador W. Robert Pearson.  Reason: 1.5 
(b,d) 
 
 
1. (C) Summary: A codel led by Speaker Hastert met Nov. 21 
with P.M. Gul and Parliament President ("Speaker") Arinc. 
Speaker Hastert congratulated Gul on AK's landslide election 
victory and Turkey's recent progress on political and 
economic reform.  Gul echoed AK leader Erdogan's commitment 
to EU-related political reform; pledged continued progess on 
economic reform; emphasized the importance of the recent UN 
resolution on Iraq; and stressed that the AK government will 
work constructively on Cyprus.  End summary. 
 
 
2. (C) In separate meetings Nov. 21 with P.M. Gul and 
Parliament Speaker Arinc, Speaker Hastert congratulated the 
AK (Justice and Development) Party on its overwhelming 
victory in the Nov. 3 national elections.  Complementing 
Turkey's efforts at improving its human rights record, and 
its role as a model of stability in the region, Speaker 
Hastert underscored the House of Representatives' commitment 
as an advocate for Turkey's EU membership.  Hastert further 
underlined the importance of maintaining discipline on the 
IMF-backed economic reform program and indicated that the 
House is likely to take up QIZ legislation next year. 
 
 
3. (C) Both Gul and Arinc thanked the Speaker's delegation 
for the USG's efforts to promote Turkey's EU accession bid. 
They acknowledged that with a single-party government, Turkey 
will be a more politically stable yet dynamic strategic 
partner.  (Note: Arinc repeatedly referred to his 
consitutional yet largely ceremonial capacity as Acting 
President -- with President Sezer abroad at the Prague NATO 
summit that day.  He also held the meeting in Presidential 
Palace, primarily to assert the prerogatives of the 
popularly-elected Parliament over an Executive that 
reportedly tried to interfere in his election as TGNA Speaker 
-- septel.  End note.) 
 
 
4. (C) Claiming that future historians will look back on the 
current period as "a turning point for Turkey," Gul laid out 
the government's critical issues: 
 
 
-- EU membership: The AK government will continue to push for 
EU reforms, not so much to meet the Copenhagen criteria as to 
"put its own house in order."  (Arinc asserted that the new 
government will be "aggressive" in its pursuit of EU 
membership.)  Individual freedoms -- in every field 
including, Gul noted, religion -- should be "guaranteed."  He 
claimed many laws related to Turkey's EU aspirations will be 
adopted in the run-up to December's crucial EU summit in 
Copenhagen.  Nevertheless, Gul averred that some EU members 
did not seem as sincere as the U.S. in its efforts to promote 
Turkey's candidacy. 
 
 
-- Iraq: Gul explained that "just because Turkey is Muslim 
doesn't mean we will support Saddam."  The recent UN 
resolution is very important, and Iraq should be scutinized 
to the fullest. (Arinc later echoed this sentiment.)  The new 
government recognizes that Saddam has used weapons of mass 
destruction in the past -- though Gul admitted he had not yet 
been briefed by military or intelligence officials on Iraq. 
He expects he will be better informed after this week's vote 
of confidence in Parliament.  Gul assured Speaker Hastert 
that ONW will be renewed again in the coming weeks. 
 
 
-- Cyprus: Turkey must work to change the perception that it 
does not want to solve the problem.  Gul said his 
administration would work "in a positive way" to bring about 
a solution.  (Arinc lightly admonished the Hastert delegation 
for the Senate's (sic) passing of a resolution endorsing 
"Greek Cypriot" accession to the EU, and intimated that 
further "biased" actions would be detrimental to finding a 
peaceful solution.) 
 
 
-- Economic reform: Gul underscored his government's 
commitment to cooperation with the World Bank and IMF and to 
fiscal discipline.  Pointing out that AK will "never be 
populist on economic reform," Gul nevertheless admitted that 
Turkey "would need help" from the USG  in continuing the 
reform program. 
 
 
5. (C) Comment: The Speaker's delegation presented a useful 
opportunity for Washington leadership to engage the new AK 
Party-led Turkish Government directly at the highest levels. 
The Speaker reviewed a number of our essential issues and 
evoked useful replies on the direction of the new leadership. 
PEARSON