US embassy cable - 03ANKARA3506

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003506 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SE, NEA/NGA, PMAT 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, MARR, AR, TU, IZ, IS 
SUBJECT: DAS PASCOE'S MAY 21-22 POST-WAR TOUR D'HORIZON 
WITH GOT OFFICIALS 
 
REF: A) ANKARA 3412 B) ANKARA 3318 C) ANKARA 3409 
 
 
(U) Classified by Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Deutsch. 
Reasons:  1.5 (B and D). 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) State Department DAS for European Affairs Lynn Pascoe 
told GOT officials May 21-22 the USG was disappointed with 
Turkey over its handling of issues of major importance to the 
US, including Iraq and Cyprus.  DAS Pascoe said the door to 
rebuilding relations was open, but it was up to Turkey to 
walk through.  Only concrete actions would help rebuild the 
relationship.  After arguing that &disappointment8 was a 
two-way street, GOT officials went out of their way to try to 
convince Pascoe that Turkey was interested in rebuilding 
relations.  However, they offered little in the way of 
concrete steps the GOT was willing to take at this time.  GOT 
officials said Turkey wanted to improve relations with 
Armenia but argued that Yerevan had to take the lead before 
Ankara would reciprocate.  Turkey was committed to enacting 
EU-related reforms, but GOT officials expressed doubts about 
the EU,s intentions.  The MFA pressed for resumption of 
formal bilateral discussions on the economic relationship and 
noted the negative impact of the operation in Iraq on the 
Turkish economy was less than forecast.  Turks are 
discouraged by the recent inconclusive debates in Brussels 
regarding NATO,s role in Iraq, but not yet alarmed at the 
EU,s discussions on future European defense structures.  GOT 
officials were disappointed that Turkey was included as a 
Tier III country in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report 
and argued that Turkey should be removed from the list.  DAS 
Pascoe,s discussions on Cyprus (ref a) and his meeting with 
MFA U/S Ziyal (septel) are reported separately.  End summary. 
 
 
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VIEW FROM WASHINGTON 
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2. (C) During his May 21-22 meetings in Ankara, EUR DAS 
Pascoe reminded GOT officials that Washington remained 
disappointed with Turkey over its handling of issues of major 
importance to the US.  The expectations in Washington 
following the November 2002 elections had been high.  The USG 
"went all out" to address Ankara,s concerns in Iraq and to 
support Turkey on EU accession.  There was a clear assumption 
in Washington, based on our relationship and the signals we 
were getting from GOT officials in the months leading up to 
the March 1 vote on Iraq, that Turkey would be there for us. 
DAS Pascoe noted the failure to reach an agreement on Cyprus 
was another huge shock and disappointment, almost on the same 
scale as Iraq.  The USG had worked hard with all of the 
parties to make sure Turkish concerns were addressed in the 
Annan plan.  At some point, the parties need to look beyond 
the interests of one or two individuals and do what is right 
for the Cypriot people and the interests of the region.  DAS 
Pascoe added that the US had demonstrated its intention to 
maintain the bilateral relationship via Secretary Powell's 
visit, the President's decision to include $1 billion in 
assistance for Turkey in the supplemental, and in the call 
between President Bush and Prime Minister Erdogan.  Pascoe 
said the door to rebuilding relations was open, but it was up 
to Turkey to take the necessary steps.  Only concrete 
actions, including on Cyprus, Iraq, the Middle East, opening 
the Armenian border, and economic reform, would help. 
 
 
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GOT REACTION 
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3. (C) Minister of Finance Unakitan summed up the views 
expressed by GOT officials:  the GOT had been disappointed by 
the outcome of the March 1 Parliamentary vote, and the key 
figures (including PM Erdogan and FM Gul) shared a strong 
desire to strengthen the bilateral relationship.  Unakitan 
said he had recently discussed with FM Gul steps Turkey could 
take to improve the relationship and had shared those ideas 
with the Ambassador (ref b).  Presidential Foreign Policy 
Advisor Atacanli also expressed disappointment.  He said it 
was important for Washington to look at matters from the 
Turkish perspective and asked for more &empathy8 in the 
future.  Ankara had witnessed &colder winds from that side 
of the Atlantic8 following the March 1 vote.  He expressed 
hope that this and other visits would "warm the climate," 
saying "I hope Turkey and the US can put the whole thing 
behind us and look to the future.8  MFA DG for the Americas 
Banguoglu said the US appeared &ungrateful8 for the support 
Turkey had provided in the operation against Iraq.  He said 
that the USG approach of "anything less than 100 percent 
compliance is not enough8 was wrong.  &If one were to 
examine Turkey,s support for US policy against Iraq since 
the first Gulf War, you would conclude that Turkey ranks very 
high, possibly higher than the UK.8 
 
 
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RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA 
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4. (C) GOT officials were largely defensive about improving 
relations between Turkey and Armenia:  the GOT had been 
forthcoming with Yerevan and was prepared to reciprocate, but 
the ball was in Yerevan's court.  Atacanli said the GOA 
needed to change its frame of mind and begin to look at 
Turkey in a &more cool-headed manner8 if it wanted to 
improve relations.  MFA DG for the Caucasus Akinci noted that 
Turkey and Armenia were carrying on very discreet DDG-level 
talks -- with the next round scheduled for Istanbul at the 
end of May -- to get bilateral relations moving.  Akinci 
argued that Yerevan needed to make a distinction between 
"state-to-state" and "nation-to-nation" relations.  The 
latter, mired in historical debates about the fate of 
Armenians at the end of the Ottoman era and exacerbated by 
the Armenian Diaspora, inhibit progress on the bilateral 
front.   As a prerequisite for improved Turkey-Armenia ties, 
Yerevan must recognize the current Turkey-Armenia border and 
give up claims to Turkish territory.  He added that there was 
also the issue of Ankara's support for Baku over 
Nagorno-Karabakh. 
 
 
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EUROPEAN UNION 
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5. (C) MFA DDG for European Affairs Yenel said that GOT-EU 
relations had improved since the December 2002 Copenhagen 
Summit.  The Greeks have been &extremely supportive8 of 
Turkey during their presidency.  Yenel said the GOT is 
committed to EU-related reform.  The current one-party 
government is in a better position to pass reform legislation 
than the previous government.  That said, he acknowledged 
that some of the reform legislation adopted by Parliament had 
not been implemented, arguing that some elements of the 
Turkish bureaucracy &do not believe in the EU8 and are 
resisting reforms.  Yenel insisted the GOT has &caught a 
good wind8 and will make the reforms necessary to meet EU 
membership criteria.  He said the only obstacle he fears is 
Cyprus:  &What will happen if the GOT makes all the 
necessary reforms and doesn't solve Cyprus?8  All the other 
candidates were required only to meet membership criteria, he 
averred.  If Turkey is kept out of the EU because of Cyprus, 
there will be a strong public reaction against the EU. 
Presidential Advisor Atacanli said the GOT was prepared to do 
its part to gain admission to the EU, but it would need &an 
extra nudge8 from the US to secure support from the EU. 
 
 
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ECONOMY 
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6. (C) Finance Minister Unakitan said severe pre-war anxiety 
had given way to cautious post-war optimism, as oil prices 
fell, tourism began to pick up, interest rates declined and 
expectations improved.  He said the announcement of the $1B 
U.S. assistance package to Turkey had provided a large 
psychological boost as well.  Unakitan said the GOT was 
working with the IMF to implement the reform program, and PM 
Erdogan,s views on this do not diverge from those of the 
Fund.  Unakitan said he is sticking to tight fiscal policy, 
which means having to say "no" to many requests from other 
ministers.  In a separate meeting, MFA DG for Bilateral 
Economic Affairs Ozuye said there were signs that Turkey's 
economy was improving.  After arguing (unsuccessfully) that 
that the US textile quota was hurting Turkey, Ozuye asked 
that the US and Turkey resume the three bilateral meetings 
(the Economic Policy Commission, the Joint Economic 
Commission and TIFA) to provide a forum to discuss issues of 
mutual concern. 
 
 
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NATO 
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7. (C) MFA DDG for NATO Affairs Kizildeli said Turkey was 
currently confused and discouraged by the recent debates at 
NATO.  The GOT found Germany's dwelling on the question of a 
NATO footprint in Iraq during debates on assistance to Poland 
particularly discouraging.  Since Prague, the Turks have seen 
little progress on capabilities.  She lamented that France 
would not allow discussion of the use of the NATO Response 
Force in the DPC; if it could only be discussed in the NAC, 
it was virtually "unusable."  While it was somewhat 
encouraging that NATO had gradually been allowed to 
participate in ISAF in Afghanistan, Kizildeli said "France 
allowing NATO to take part after everyone else had lost 
interest was no way to keep NATO responsive and viable." 
Kizildeli argued that Turkey was not looking at NATO as a 
"back door" to participating in the stabilization force in 
Iraq.  Iraq was very important to Turkey, and the GOT did not 
want its stability left in the hands of "Honduras and the 
Philippines" when everyone else lost interest.  Kizildeli 
said Turkey was watching European defense structures develop 
with great interest but was not yet alarmed.  The Europeans 
don't yet have a "strategic vision," so Turkey is not yet 
worried.  As an EU aspirant, Turkey was participating in 
discussions on ESDP to the extent allowed and hoped to one 
day fully benefit from European strategic cooperation. 
 
 
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TRAFFICKING REPORT 
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8. (C) Americas DG Banguoglu said that the GOT was 
disappointed that Turkey was included as a Tier III country 
in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.  Using many of 
the same points the Minister of Interior used with the 
Ambassador later that same day (ref c), Banguoglu argued that 
Turkey should be removed from the list altogether. 
 
 
9. (U) DAS Pascoe has cleared this message. 
PEARSON