US embassy cable - 02ANKARA8730

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 008730 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR NEA CROCKER, NEA/NGA AND EUR/SE; 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; 
DAMASCUS FOR WALKER 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2012 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: NORTHERN IRAQ: TURKMEN FRONT AGREES TO ATTEND 
OPPOSITION CONFERENCE, WANTS PRO-KDP TURKMEN COUNTED 
AGAINST SOMEONE ELSE'S NUMBERS 
 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 8142 
     B. ANKARA 7993 
     C. ANKARA 7775 
     D. ANKARA 7550 
     E. ANKARA 7509 
     F. ANKARA 7148 
 
 
 (U) Classified by Pol-Mil Counselor Stuart Brown.  Reasons: 
1.5 (B and D). 
 
 
1. (C) Operation Northern Watch POLAD met with Iraqi Turkmen 
Front (ITF) Ankara rep and Executive Committee member Dr. 
Mustafa Ziya November 29.  Ziya shared the text (see para 3) 
of the opposition conference steering committee's response to 
the ITF's complaint letter of November 5 (ref B).  ziya noted 
that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Supreme 
Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) continued to 
oppose granting ITF requests.  He said that the ITF had 
agreed to participate in the London conference after ITF 
Chairman Sanan Aga received a letter from four senior USG 
official encouraging its participation.  Ziya added that the 
ITF now had only one demand - that the pro-KDP Turkmen cited 
ref A not be counted against the 6 percent of the seats 
reserved for Turkmen (which, with the addition of the 
independents, is now closer to 4 percent, he claimed).  "Let 
them come as part of the KDP group, or as independents," he 
said. Ziya hoped that, with USG help, this problem could be 
solved.  We stressed that the ITF should not expect USG 
intervention on this point.  Ziya then assured ONW POLAD that 
ITF reps in London would continue to negotiate this with the 
steering committee. 
 
 
2. (C) Ziya told us that the KDP and SCIRI had a "secret" 
agreement to support each other's positions at the 
conference, including on the KDP's draft constitution.  With 
a total of 113 seats, Ziya said, the KDP and SCIRI would 
drive the outcome.  Ziya worried that if the KDP draft were 
approved, the federal structure would separate 4 million 
Sunnis from the south/center of Iraq, leaving the 
southern/central federal unit with 80 percent Shi'a.  Ziya 
also promised us an advanced copy of the ITF's presentation 
for the conference, which he expected would win approval from 
90 percent of the delegates. 
 
 
3. (C) Text of Steering Committee Reply to ITF (As translated 
by the ITF) 
 
 
Begin Text: 
 
 
Preparation of the Iraqi Opposition Congress, London, 20/11/02 
 
 
ITF Responsibilities 
 
 
We received your letter on the Opposition Congress and we 
analyzed your requests in detail during our meetings in a 
positive manner.  Please find below our suggestions on your 
requests. 
 
 
1. All documents, statements and participation of branches, 
emerging after the opposition congress will be considered 
seriously by the preparation committee. 
 
 
2. Concerning your request on participating the preparation 
activities; As you also know, the six person's group decided 
on the August Washington meeting, not to enlarge the 
preparation committee beyond their group and also to finance 
the congress all by their own.  The commission is a technical 
committee whose activities will have an end immediately with 
the start of the congress.  The participation of any group 
might be considered as an example for the others and our 
former experiences have proved that large preparation 
activities, participated by 20 groups or more are mostly 
resulted nor practical neither beneficial. 
 
 
3. The participation rates of the 1992 Salahadeen congress 
have been taken essential to the participation of the 
political, national and religious trends for the coming 
congress.  As there are no clear statistics about the 
structure and population rates of the Iraqi community, the 
determined participation rates might appear to be unfair. 
All of us feel treated unjustly about this case.  It is hard 
to change these rates at the moment since a change in favor 
of one group will affect the others.  Actually the 
participation rates will not affect the results of the 
congress because the results will depend on political 
conciliation, not on votes.  all documents will be presented 
as drafts, open to discussion. 
 
 
4. In order to ensure your participation to this congress 
which is the hope of all Iraqi people, the commission 
increased the number of the Turkmen delegation to 15 persons, 
including 8 persons from the ITF.  This means a majority for 
the Turkmen participation. 
 
 
We expect you positive contribution to this very important 
congress which is expected forwardly by the Iraqi community 
and also the whole district. 
 
 
The Preparation Committee 
 
 
End Text. 
DEUTSCH