US embassy cable - 03ANKARA1660

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001660 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S NEW GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 1546 
     B. ANKARA 1364 
 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador W.R. Pearson.  Reason: 1.5 
(b)(d). 
 
 
1. (U) Late afternoon March 14 President Sezer approved AK 
leader Erdogan's cabinet list and sent it to the Turkish 
Parliament for consideration and eventual vote of confidence. 
 Erdogan is now officially Prime Minister. 
 
 
2. (C) Erdogan's new cabinet is largely the same as that of 
his predecessor Abdullah Gul, with the following changes: 
 
 
-- The number of State Ministers has been cut to three; 
portfolios not announced yet; 
 
 
-- Former P.M. Gul will now serve as both Deputy Prime 
Minister and Foreign Minister, replacing the hapless and 
stale Yasar Yakis; 
 
 
-- Former Deputy P. M. Ertugrul Yalcinbayir is out. 
Yalcinbayir openly opposed and worked against the AK 
Government's March 1 petition to authorize deployment of U.S. 
troops to Turkey and Turkish troops abroad; 
 
 
-- Huseyin Celik, a Gul ally, and former ANAP member Erkan 
Mumcu swapped positions -- with Celik now at Education and 
Mumcu -- a lightning rod of liberal reformism and a staunch 
critic of the Kemalist State -- moving over to the less 
sensitive Culture Ministry; 
 
 
-- Kursat Tuzmen -- the former MHPer who as State Minister 
for Foreign Trade paid a controversial Jan. 12 visit to 
Saddam -- is now Minister of the Environment, replacing Imdat 
Sutluoglu, now out of the Cabinet; 
 
 
-- Notably, Ali Babacan hung on to his post as State Minister 
for the Treasury -- despite intense speculation that he was 
heading for the axe. 
 
 
-- The experienced, level-headed Naksibendi trio of Cemil 
Cicek, Abdulkadir Aksu and Vecdi Gonul -- all of whom 
recognize the importance of good relations with the United 
States -- retain their posts at Justice, Interior and 
Defense, respectively. 
 
 
----------- 
What's Next 
----------- 
 
 
3. (C) Erdogan interpreter Egemen Bagis told us immediately 
after the announcement that the Parliament will remain in 
session throughout the weekend and thus could hold a vote of 
confidence as early as Monday, March 17, but more likely by 
the middle of that week. 
 
 
4. (C) Comment: The limited shake-up ran counter to the bulk 
of the speculation in the past week -- except that offered 
privately to us by AK's unofficial godfather Korkut Ozal, who 
cautioned Erdogan against big changes early on (ref A).  In 
any event, Erdogan was elected to Parliament March 9 and is 
moving rapidly into position (ref B).  However, it is unclear 
as to what this portends for his Government's willingness or 
ability to push rapidly another troop deployment decision. 
Bagis offered his "personal view" to us that Erdogan had 
taken a big risk and failed on the deployment resolution 
March 1, and that therefore before he does anything else on 
this front he needs to: 1) win a confidence vote and thereby 
2) prepare the groundwork for an overwhelming victory on any 
new resolution. 
PEARSON