US embassy cable - 03ANKARA1512

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001512 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT. FOR NEA, NEA/NGA, EUR, EUR/SE; 
NSC FOR AMB. KHALILZAD 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2013 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, IZ, TU, Iraq 
SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKEY AGREES TO US-TURKEY-KDP/PUK-ITF TALKS 
- PROVIDED THEY ARE PRECEDED BY US-TURKEY BILATS; TALKS 
WITH LARGER OPPOSITION LATER 
 
 
REF: A. STATE 61835 
     B. ANKARA 1487 
 
 
Classified by DCM Robert Deutsch.  Reasons 1.5 b and d. 
 
 
1. (C) MFA Director General for Middle Eastern Affairs Tahsin 
Burcuoglu called in DCM March 10 with response to US Ref A 
demarche suggesting a US-Turkey-Iraqi opposition meeting. 
Burcuoglu said Turkey was agreeable to holding a round of 
US-Turkey-KDP/PUK-ITF talks toward the end of this week (when 
MFA Deputy U/S Ali Tuygan would be available) in order to 
finalize understandings of the joint US-Turkey operations in 
northern Iraq, should they end up taking place.  Turkey's 
position, he said, was that such a meeting must be preceded 
by a US-Turkey bilateral to fix the structure, format and 
agenda of the larger meeting.  Turkey's reaction had been 
coordinated with TGS J-3 LTG Karabay. 
 
 
2. (C) Burcuoglu said the bilateral was "most important" and 
would require a full day.  The other parties must know, he 
said, that they are not coming to convince Turkey of the 
virtues of the Salahadeen meeting.  They should, he said, 
come prepared to agree on what they hear from the US and 
Turkey.  There was already a foundation for US and Turkish 
presentations in the military MOU that remained on the table, 
he said.  Burcuoglu said Turkey needed to see the KDP, PUK 
and ITF reaction to the MOU.  It would be very unfortunate, 
he added, if there was no agreement at the end of such a 
meeting. 
 
 
3. (C) Burcuoglu noted that there was already a history of 
meeting with this group of five, and these were the key 
parties who needed to be on board to avoid misunderstandings 
in nothern Iraq.  To get other groups involved, he said, 
would be feasible at some point, but not for the time being. 
That would be, he said, "another thing for another time."  He 
noted that Turkey would have its own ideas about other groups 
that it would want to attend such a meeting in the future. 
 
 
4. (C) As for the prospective five-way meeting, he emphasized 
that Turkey wanted to be sure it would be smooth, 
business-like and results-oriented.  He said he looked 
forward to hearing details from the US side about scheduling 
both the full-day bilat and the subsequent five-way meeting. 
 
 
PEARSON