US embassy cable - 94STATE297976

S E C R E T STATE 297976 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: OADR 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, RU, TU 
SUBJECT: STATUS OF PKK PRESENCE IN RUSSIA 
 
REFS: A) ANKARA 13507 (BEING REPEATED TO MOSCOW); B) 
ANKARA 13634 (BEING REPEATED TO MOSCOW); C) ANKARA 2965; 
D) TD 315/00535-94; E) TD 315/50753-94 
 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: TURKISH PRESS REPORTS THE PKK HAS 
SPONSORED ANOTHER MOSCOW CONFERENCE ON KURDISH 
SEPARATISM. DEPARTMENT WOULD BE CONCERNED WERE MOSCOW 
TO BECOME A CENTER OF OPERATIONAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY FOR 
PKK TERRORISM. PLEASE PROVIDE AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON 
THE CONFERENCE (ESPECIALLY ANY RUSSIAN 6OVERNMENT 
INVOLVEMENT OR FACILITATIONY AND ANY READILY AVAILABLE 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE PKK 
AND PRO-PKK FRONTS IN RUSSIA. DEPARTMENT ALSO INVITES 
RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE APPROPRIATENESS AND TACTICS OF A 
POSSIBLE DEMARCHE TO MOSCOW LAYING DOWN A MARKER ON OUR 
CONCERNS. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) REF A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY (BEIN6 REPEATED TO 
MOSCOW) NOTED TURKISH PRESS REPORTS THAT ON OCTOBER 29 
-KURDISH SEPARATISTS FROM TURKEY STARTED A THREE-DAY 
MEETING IN MOSCOW AIMED AT UNITING AND STRENGTHENING THE 
KURDISH MOVEMENT WITHIN THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT 
STATES. THE MEETING, SPONSORED BY THE PKK (KURDISTAN 
WORKERS' PARTY), IS PART OF A CAMPAIGN IN THE FORMER 
EAST BLOC. THE CONFERENCE WAS CLOSED TO TURKISH 
JOURNALISTS.- REF B PRESS SUMMARY QUOTED TURKISH PRESS 
REPORTS THAT THE CONFERENCE ENDED OCTOBER 31 HAVING 
ELECTED ONE YURI NEBIEV LEADER OF A -KURDISH UNION." 
TURKEY REPORTEDLY PROTESTED THE CONFERENCE VIA 
DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS. (NB: TURKEY HAS NOT ASKED THE USG 
FOR SUPPORT ON THIS ISSUE.) 
 
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THE THREAT 
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3. (S) DEPARTMENT UNDERSTANDS THAT PRO-PKK CONFERENCES 
OF THIS NATURE HAVE BEEN HELD PREVIOUSLY, AND THAT THE 
RUSSIANS HAVE IN THE PAST ASSURED TURKEY THAT MOSCOW HAS 
NO INTENTION OF ESTABLISHING TIES WITH THE PKK (REF C). 
EXPERIENCE WITH THE PKK AND ITS FRONTS IN WESTERN EUROPE 
HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT THE ORGANIZATION CAN POSE A DANGER 
EVEN WITHOUT THE FORMAL SUPPORT OF THE HOST GOVERNMENT. 
DEPARTMENT WOULD BE CONCERNED WERE MOSCOW TO BECOME A 
CENTER OF OPERATIONAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY FOR PKK TERRORISM 
(E.G., WEAPONS PROCUREMENT, TRAINING) -- REPORTS OF SUCH 
ACTIVITY HAVE SURFACED IN THE PAST (E.G. REFS D, E) -- 
OR WERE THE PKK TO MOBILIZE THE SERVICES OF RUSSIAN 
MAFIA GROUPS. 
 
 
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BACKGROUND ON THE PKK 
--------------------- 
 
4. (C) THE USG CONSIDERS THE PKK TO BE A TERRORIST 
ORGANIZATION, NOT/NOT A LEGITIMATE POLITICAL MOVEMENT. 
OUR SUPPORT FOR TURKISH EFFORTS TO COMBAT THE PKK IS 
BASED NOT ONLY ON THE THREAT IT POSES TO TURKEY, BUT IN 
PART ON THE GROUP'S PAST AND PRESENT ACTIONS THREATENING 
AMERICAN LIVES AND INTERESTS. SINCE THE 1984 START OF 
ITS CAMPAIGN TO CARVE A KURDISH STATE OUT OF THE TURKISH 
SOUTHEAST, THE PKK HAS REPEATEDLY TAKEN AMERICANS 
HOSTAGE AND ATTACKED US ECONOMIC TAR6ETS. THE PKK'S 
ONGOING BOMBING CAMPAIGN AIMED AT TOURIST SITES IN 
TURKEY ENDANGERS AMERICAN AS WELL AS TURKISH AND 
PORT FORTHE PKK WAS FREQUENTLY ALLEGED. 
 
5. (S) THE PKK'S POLITICAL WING, ERNK, MAINTAINS A 
PRESENCE IN A NUMBER OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING 
SOME WHICH BAN THE PKK. AFTER THE PKK ENGAGED IN 
TERRORISM IN WESTERN EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1993, 
FRANCE AND GERMANY BANNED THE GROUP AND DOZENS OF ITS 
FRONTS. ERNK CLAIMS ITS INTERNATIONAL OFFICES ENGAGE 
ONLY IN ORGANIZATIONAL AND INFORMATION ACTIVITY. 
HOWEVER, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT IN SOME COUNTRIES ERNK 
OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN OPERATIONAL TERRORIST 
SUPPORT ACTIVITY. DEPARTMENT SEEKS TO DISCOURAGE 
GOVERNMENTS FROM DRAWING A FACILE DISTINCTION BETWEEN 
"TERRORIST- PKK AND "POLITICAL" ERNK. 
 
 
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ACTION REQUESTED 
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6. (C) AT THIS STAGE, THE DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO 
REVIEW THE LATEST READILY-AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON 
PKK-RELATED ACTIVITY IN RUSSIA, WITH AN EYE TOWARD A 
POSSIBLE DEMARCHE TO MOSCOW DETAILING OUR CONCERNS ABOUT 
THE PKK AND ITS FRONTS. PLEASE REPORT ON THE NATURE, 
SCOPE, AND PARTICIPANTS OF THE CONFERENCE CITED IN REFS 
A AND B, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ANY RUSSIAN 
GOVERNMENTAL INVOLVEMENT OR FACILITATION. (WE WOULD 
APPRECIATE ANY DETAILS THE TURKISH EMBASSY IN MOSCOW MAY 
HAVE.) MORE BROADLY, DEPARTMENT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN 
ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO EMBASSY ON ACTIVITIES AND 
INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE PKK, ERNK, OR OTHER PRO-PKK 
SUPPORT OR FRONT ORGANIZATIONS IN RUSSIA. 
 
7. (C) DEPARTMENT ALSO INVITES POST'S RECOMMENDATIONS ON 
THE APPROPRIATENESS AND TACTICS OF A DEMARCHE TO MOSCOW 
LAYING DOWN A MARKER ON THE PKK. AT THIS STAGE EMBASSY 
SHOULD NOT/NOT APPROACH HOST GOVERNMENT FOR 
INFORMATION. SLUG REPLY FOR S/CT (KOSNETT) AND ISCA. 
 
 
CHRISTOPHER