US embassy cable - 03ANKARA800

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000800 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR NEA CROCKER, NEA/NGA AND EUR/SE; 
NSC FOR KHALILZAD; 
OSD FOR LUTI AND HRHODE; 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; 
DAMASCUS FOR WALKER; 
OSLO FOR PEARSON 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2013 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, TU, IZ, PHUM, PREF, PTER 
SUBJECT: NORTHERN IRAQ: PUK'S BARHAM SALIH: WORRIES OF 
TURKISH MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN NIRAQ, TROUBLE WITH ITF, 
VIEWS ON TRILATS, KREKAR, ECON CRISIS 
 
REF: ANKARA 278 
 
 
 (U) Classified by DCM Robert Deutsch.  Reasons:  1.5 (B and 
D). 
 
 
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Summary 
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1. (S) Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) "Prime Minister" 
Barham Salih briefed Operation Northern Watch POLAD in Ankara 
Jan. 29 and 31 on his recent travel in Europe and his Jan. 30 
meetings with Turkish officials.  Salih said his talks with 
Turks were mostly positive, with the exception of the Turkmen 
issue.  Salih told the Turks he believed Turkey was making a 
"big mistake" by tying themselves only to the Iraqi Turkmen 
Front (ITF).  In the long run Turkey would need the support 
and friendship of Iraqi Kurds and Arabs more than the 
Turkmen, who would always support Turkey in any case.  In 
addition, he told the Turks, the ITF was defining Turkmen 
rights on an anti-Kurd platform, an unhelpful and dangerous 
move that indicated the ITF's political immaturity.  MFA 
Under Secretary Ziyal told Salih that Turkey would permit 
journalists to transit Turkey en route to the February 
opposition conference in northern Iraq.  Finally, echoing 
what Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Barzani told us 
January 9 (reftel), Salih objected to Turkish troops 
participating in military operations in northern Iraq unless 
under US command, and even then, he was uncomfortable with 
the notion.  "They are looking for a mission.  We don't want 
to be their mission."  Salih said he hoped PUK leader Jalal 
Talabani could discuss this bilaterally with Amb. Khalilzad 
in Ankara on Feb. 6.  Salih also raised the release of Ansar 
al-Islam leader Mullah Krekar and the PUK's current economic 
crisis.  End Summary. 
 
 
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PUK Raises Turkmen Problems with GOT 
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2. (S) PUK "PM" Barham Salih briefed ONW POLAD January 29 and 
31 on his travel to Europe and his Jan. 30 meetings with 
Turkish MFA, TGS and TNIO officials.  He characterized his 
meetings with Turks as good, with one problematic issue: the 
Iraqi Turkmen.  Salih told the Turks they needed to cultivate 
friendships with the Iraqi Arabs and Kurds, and that Turkey's 
limited focus on Iraqi Turkmen was alienating other Iraqis. 
"People in Iraq are exasperated with the Turks" he told us. 
"We know they are one of the keys to our future and provide a 
good example of secular democracy, but Turkish support of the 
ITF and discussion of Turkish military involvement in Iraq 
are creating many complications."  Calling the ITF 
politically immature, Salih complained that ITF leaders are 
defining Turkmen rights on an anti-Kurd platform, which was 
ultimately dangerous, given Turkey's support for the ITF and 
plans for military presence in northern Iraq.  Salih said the 
KDP, PUK and other Iraqi opposition groups should give Turkey 
assurances on everything they want, including on Kirkuk, to 
avoid Turkish military involvement. 
 
 
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Salih Opposes TGS Involvement in Iraq 
------------------------------------- 
 
 
3. (S) Salih asked us if Turks in northern Iraq would be 
under US military command.  When we told him we could not 
answer that question at this stage and urged him and/or 
Talabani to raise the matter with Presidential Special Envoy 
Khalilzad during the latter's visit here Feb. 5-6, Salih 
replied that he had consistently told US officials that he 
and the PUK would be concerned about any increased Turkish 
military presence in northern Iraq.  "They have no business 
there."  Such a presence could only be acceptable under US 
command, and even that made the Iraqi Kurds uncomfortable. 
Repeating some themes raised with us by KDP leader Barzani 
reftel, Salih said if the Turkish military comes into 
northern Iraq, they will never leave.  Their presence will 
draw in the Iranians, he said.  They will try to force the 
undemocratic ITF down the Kurds' throats and restrict Iraqi 
Kurds' political aspirations.  In short, he said, the Turkish 
military "is looking for a mission.  We do not want to be 
their mission." 
 
 
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Views on US-Turkey-Iraqi Kurds Talks 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
4. (S) When we discussed the Feb. 5-6 multi-party talks to be 
led on the US side by PSE Khalilzad, Salih said the Iraqi 
Kurds were interested in talking with the Turks about what 
happens during military operations, but not about what 
post-Saddam Iraq would look like.  He said if the Turks think 
they have a say in that discussion they will think they can 
"run" northern Iraq.  "That discussion is for Iraqis, not 
foreigners."  He was very firm on the point and said that the 
Turks want the Iraqi Kurds to be Iraqis first.  But when they 
behave like Iraqis and try to discuss Iraq's future, Turkey 
identifies them as Kurds and insists on inserting itself in a 
discussion where Turkey does not belong.  Turkey, he said, 
cannot have it both ways on this point.  Salih said that 
including the ITF - even as observers - in the multi-party 
talks will complicate things and could degenerate into 
KDP-ITF bickering.  But more seriously, inclusion of the ITF 
would give the Turks baseless claims to insist on getting 
their way on every point "to protect the interests of the 
Turkmen."  That said, he realized we may need to find a way 
to check the ITF box in order to keep the Turks in the talks, 
but he was decidedly unenthusiastic. 
 
 
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Turks: Conference Invite Should Come From KDP/PUK/ITF 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
 
5. (S) Turning to the upcoming Iraqi opposition conference, 
Salih said MFA U/S Ziyal told him Turkey would permit 
journalists to attend via Turkey.  Salih invited Ziyal to 
send a GOT rep to the conference.  Ziyal said he would 
consider the invitation.  TGS, Salih said, pushed him to have 
the invitation to the conference jointly issued and signed by 
KDP leader Barzani, PUK leader Talabani and ITF leader Sanan 
Aga.  Salih told us the PUK was considering having the 
invitation issued by all the opposition groups based in Iraq 
to avoid a problem over this.  He said that including the ITF 
in all the Advisory Committee sub-groups should not be a 
problem.  "It is in our interest to have the ITF in all of 
the opposition work, but not to have them shoved down our 
throats by outsiders."  He noted that ITF leader Aga had in 
the past supported autonomy for the region of "Iraqi 
Kurdistan" and had even served on the region's autonomous 
legislative council before the Gulf War.  That he now was 
opposed to autonomy for the region was an interesting 
indicator of his own lack of autonomy. 
 
 
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Readout from Davos - Surprising Support 
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6. (S) Salih said that the Iraqi opposition delegation at 
Davos, in which he participated, got a great hearing and 
spoke to a large and surprisingly supportive crowd.  He 
complained that the European governments are "useless" on 
Iraq.  He said that KDP/PUK cooperation was excellent and 
that there was no way the parties would return to 
confrontation with each other during hostilities.  "Those who 
suggest so are hoping we will, but we're all playing this 
smart."  The KDP and the PUK finally opened liaison offices 
in each other's territory last week, fulfilling a Washington 
Agreement reconciliation requirement. 
 
 
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Mullah Krekar - Offer of Additional Info 
---------------------------------------- 
 
 
7. (S) Salih asked us why the Dutch had released Ansar 
al-Islam leader Mullah Krekar and why the US had not tried to 
extradited him.  Salih suggested Krekar had al-Qaeda 
connections that should be sufficient for the US to hold him. 
 Salih offered to provide any info necessary to help get him 
in appropriate custody and said that Krekar and his relatives 
are desparately looking for a way to get Krekar back to 
Biyara. 
 
 
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PUK Econ Crisis - Appeal for Currency Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
 
8. (C) Finally, Salih said that the PUK regional 
administration was in urgent need of economic assistance, was 
grateful for what it had already received, but was now unable 
to pay for public services and had a major currency crisis. 
He said they could in theory go to a mostly USD-based economy 
(many salaries are already paid in dollars), but they had 
virtually no small denomination bills which made it 
impossible to use the USD for daily commerce.  He asked if we 
could help infuse into the region small USD bills.  He also 
said the UK is holding a large amount of frozen Iraqi 
accounts in old dinars and wondered whether there was any 
chance of getting those released into circulation.  He said 
he would follow up on this matter by phone with appropriate 
USG officials. 
PEARSON