Cablegate: Visit to Turkey of Under Secretary of State For

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

221334Z Sep 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005501

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR R, ECA, EUR, NEA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OVIP PGOV PREL KPAO TU
SUBJECT: VISIT TO TURKEY OF UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS KAREN P. HUGHES.

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

1. SUMMARY: Your visit to Turkey comes at a time when
bilateral relations are gradually but perceptibly improving.
While the Turks highly value U.S. support for Turkey,s EU
membership and our active work on behalf of a Cyprus
settlement, the perceptions that we have done nothing to
counter the PKK in northern Iraq remain irritants in the
relationship. Turkey demonstrates that democracy and Islam
are not incompatible, yet there are dangers in postulating
that Turkey should be considered an example for other
countries. The point of departure for our public diplomacy
initiatives with pious and secular Turks alike is issues,
interests, and values, rather than religion. During this
listening tour, your demonstration of respect for the diverse
perspectives you encounter will be greatly valued. END
SUMMARY.

Shared Policy Goals, Yet Concerns on Iraq and PKK
--------------------------------------------- -----

2. The U.S.,s steadfast support for Turkey,s EU
aspirations, and specifically our activism, even when behind
the scenes, in promoting an October 3 starting date for EU
accession negotiations is welcomed by Turkey. Long-standing,
active U.S. support for a just settlement in Cyprus under the
Annan Plan and our steps, including trade delegations and
Congressional visits, to ease the isolation of northern
Cyprus, is another area of convergence of U.S. and Turkish
interests.

3. Iraq is a major preoccupation for Turks and it will lead
the agenda of many of your interlocutors. Turkey and the
U.S. now share common goals for Iraq: a secure, stable,
democratic country that is united and territorially whole.
Turkey has provided valuable assistance and cooperation in
the global war on terrorism. The GOT offered to send
peacekeeping troops to Iraq in October 2003 (an offer refused
by Iraq), approved the use of Incirlik airbase for tankers to
refuel aircraft on support missions for Operation Iraqi
Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, authorized the
transit of troops on rotation from Iraq, and permits the
transit of fuel, coalition supplies, and humanitarian goods.
This April, the GOT granted the U.S. permission to establish
a cargo hub at Incirlik, which has significantly increased
our efficiency in delivering supplies to Iraq.

4. However, our actions in Iraq have been highly unpopular
with the Turkish public, 95 percent of which opposed the war.
Many in government share the public,s perceptions.
Concerns about our lack of action against terrorist PKK camps
in northern Iraq, Kurdish desires for independence, the
ethnic balance and future of Kirkuk, and perceived
discrimination against Turkmen in northern Iraq fueled the
public,s strong disagreement with U.S. efforts in Iraq.
Last year, irresponsible statements by Turkish political
leaders solidified negative public opinion, and
anti-Americanism grew as a result of highly distorted media
reporting on the Iraq war, against which the Mission pushed
back hard in an effort to hold the press to a standard of
fact.

5. A series of high-level exchanges, beginning with the
President,s visit in June 2004, followed by Secretary,s
Rice,s visit to Ankara in February, and continuing with the
early June 2005 visits of Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign
Minster Gul to Washington and the Secretary,s meeting with
FM Gul in New York this week on the margins of the UNGA, has
contributed to a closer relationship and much improved
atmospherics. The major irritant in the relationship remains
the perception that the U.S., despite its global campaign
against terrorism, is doing nothing to counteract the
approximately 2000 PKK militia who take refuge in northern
Iraq, providing them a base of operation for terrorist
attacks in Turkey.

Turkey,s Many Faces
--------------------

6. As you visit Ankara and Istanbul, it is important to
remember that there are, in fact, many Turkeys and that there
is much more to the country than its capital and the world
renowned city on the Bosphorus. Turkey is a relatively poor
country, with an average per capita monthly income of just
$340. Approximately 30 percent of the population lives below
the poverty line. Nineteen percent of Turkish women are
illiterate. It is a young country, with more than 60 percent
of its population under 30 years of age. And it is a highly
complex country in terms of religious self-identity and the
place of religion in society and government. Elite
supporters of Turkey,s secular state downplay the role of
religion, yet there exists a strong element of Islam in the
social and cultural traditions of Anatolia, as well as within
the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Muslims and Democracy Do Not a Model Make
-----------------------------------------

7. As the region,s only secular democratic Muslim nation
with a majority Muslim population and a key U.S. ally, Turkey
plays a critical role in the formulation of strategies to
address the Muslim world. Turkey bridges Europe and Asia,
both physically and culturally. It provides proof that
democratic values can thrive in a predominantly Muslim nation.

8. Yet there is danger in this truth. Turks object
vigorously to their country being referred to as a &model8
or &example8 for other nations of how Islam and democracy
can co-exist. Part of their objection goes back to the
founding of Turkey as a self-consciously secular state.
Others object because, for most Turks, religion is an
intensely private and personal issue. Still others interpret
the use of &model8 or &example8 of an endorsement of the
status quo, when, in fact, there remains much more to be done
in protecting human rights and freedom of expression and
promoting democratic reform. An even more dangerous trap is
the use of the formulation &moderate Islam,8 which implies
to many Turks that Islam is in the first instance violent and
dangerous. If pushed to label our Turkish ally, we
characterize it as a country with a democratic, secular
government and a Muslim majority population.

Public Diplomacy in Turkey
--------------------------

9. Ninety-nine percent of Turkey,s population is Muslim,
and in a very real sense every public diplomacy initiative we
conduct in support the MPP constitutes outreach to Muslim
audiences. Yet, our interaction with Turks takes as its
starting point our shared goals and interests ) or the
differences that we seek to bridge ) rather than the fact
that Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country.

10. Turkey is set apart from other Muslim countries by
Ataturk,s powerful and lasting vision of a secular state of
Muslims. The continuing debate over the ban on women wearing
headscarves in government buildings and universities is a
constant reminder, if one were needed, that American concepts
of freedom of religious expression cannot simply be overlaid
onto Turkey.

11. The complexities associated with the role of religion in
secular Turkey underscore the importance of adopting an
approach to communicating with Muslim audiences based on the
premise that there is no monolithic Islamic culture. What
works in Riyadh may not play well in Cairo, and will almost
certainly not work in Istanbul or Ankara. The Mission has
made a concerted effort to reach out to AKP constituents,
Islamist-oriented NGOs, and self-identified pious Turks. At
the same time, we continue to closely engage the country,s
traditional Kemalist power structure. Turkey,s population
is younger and faster growing that that of any other European
country and we need to extend our efforts to more
successfully engage the country,s youth. In a word, our
outreach is directed at Turks.

12. Due to strong opposition to the Iraq War, public support
for U.S. foreign policy has, on the other hand, eroded
dramatically in Turkey, not unlike in many countries around
the world. With Iraq on its doorstep, Turks are deeply
concerned about the continuing violence there and the
country,s uncertain political future. The PKK is an issue
of fundamental importance for the Turks. The opposition the
U.S. encounters in Turkey is far less related to religious
faith than it is a question of policy and geography. There
remains, on the other hand, on the part of many secular and
pious Turks alike, an admiration for American values,
freedoms, and technology and a desire to study in, visit, and
do business with the United States.

13. We applaud your emphasis on listening during this visit.
The fact that you are visiting Turkey following stops in two
Middle Eastern countries may leave some Turks to conclude
that the U.S. views Turkey as part of the Middle East. It is
important that during your discussions you reaffirm our view
that Turkey is firmly rooted in Europe and the West. The
civil society and religious leaders and the youth and women
with whom you meet will have no shortage of opinions and
views to share. They will value the respect you demonstrate
for their perspectives. Despite the differences of opinion
your interlocutors will voice with our policies, they will
find that we share a common belief in the importance of
democracy, liberty and family.
MCELDOWNEY

© Scoop Media