Cablegate: Us-Turkey High-Level Defense Group (Hldg): Osd

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS ANKARA 003120

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SE; OSD FOR L. HEALD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR PREL TU
SUBJECT: US-TURKEY HIGH-LEVEL DEFENSE GROUP (HLDG): OSD
AND TGS UNABLE TO REACH AGREEMENT ON DATES FOR WORKING
GROUP MEETINGS

1. The Turkish General Staff (TGS) and the Office of the
Secretary of Defense (OSD) have been unable to reach

SIPDIS
agreement on acceptable dates to convene meetings of the
HLDG's Political-Military Working Group (PMWG) and the
Security Cooperation Working Group (SCWG).

2. Para 4 below contains the text of a May 24 letter from US
PMWG Co-Chair OSD DASD Brzezinski to his Turkish counterpart,
TGS Deputy J5 for Agreements Major General Acar, in which
DASD Brzezinski advises that he is unable to attend the 19th
PMWG meeting in Ankara that was scheduled for May 10-12. The
letter proposes that the meeting take place in Ankara during
the week of July 19. (The Embassy received a fax copy of the
letter from OSD May 25 and forwarded it to TGS/J5 that same
day.)

3. Para 5 contains the text of Maj. Gen. Acar's May 31
response, in which he notes that the week of July 19 is not
acceptable and proposes that the two sides meet in second
half of September or in October 2004. (The Embassy received
a fax copy of the letter from TGS June 2 and forwarded it to
OSD via fax that same day.)

4. Begin text of May 24 letter from DASD Brzezinski to Major
General Acar:

Dear General Acar,

Thank you for the invitation to attend the 19th Political
Military Working Group (PMWG) in Ankara from 10-12 May 2004.
I was looking forward to reconnecting with you and your
colleagues. Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, I was
unable to attend during that week, and unfortunately am
unable to come in early June. I appreciate the effort that
you and your staff put into preparing for the PMWG to take
place in May or June.

I would like to propose the week of 19 July 2004 to meet in
Ankara if that would work for you and your staff. I am sure
we will have much to discuss after what I know will be an
historic NATO Summit in Istanbul in late June.

Sincerely,
Ian Brzezinski
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for NATO/Europe

End text.

5. Begin Text of May 31 response from Maj. Gen. Acar:

Dear Mr. Brzezinski

I have received your letter concerning the Political Military
Working Group (PMWG) in Ankara dated on May 25, 2004. Our
intention is to arrange the 19th PMWG as soon as possible.
Due to the non availability of our program and given that
July is the period of the appointment of the Turkish
officers, we do not have any opportunity to meet in Ankara
during the week of July 19, 2004 as mentioned in your letter.

In view of the above mentioned reasons, I would like to
propose to arrange the 19th PMWG in the second half of
September or in October. If these dates remain acceptable to
your side, our staffs can make necessary arrangements.

I very much look forward to our meetings with you and your
staffs.

Sincerely,
Suphi Acar
Major General
Chief, TGS, Agreements Dept.

End text.
EDELMAN

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