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O 111430Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5529
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0114
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA PRIORITY 1555
RHMFISS/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU PRIORITY
RHMFISS/425ABS IZMIR TU//CC// PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA/DSCA// PRIORITY
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2026 
TAGS: KNUC PARM PREL UN IR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY/IRAN: PM ERDOGAN'S MESSAGE TO LARIJANI 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 2598 (NOTAL) 
     ¶B. ANKARA 2640 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson for reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  Prime Ministry advisor Ahmet Davutoglu told 
Ambassador May 10 that PM Erdogan delivered a strong message 
to Iranian National Security Secretary Ali Larijani during 
the latter's May 8 visit to Ankara, warning Iran that it must 
regain the international community's trust by behaving 
transparently with regard to its nuclear program.  Davutoglu 
said there may have been a slight opening toward resumed 
negotiations with the IAEA, but did not press the point.  The 
Turks rebuffed Iranian complaints that the IAEA is 
politicized and assertions that China and Russia are on 
Iran's side.  Erdogan will likely see President Ahmadinejad 
at the May 12-13 D-8 meeting in Bali.  Ambassador urged 
Turkey to continue sending clear messages to Tehran and 
welcomed further U.S.-Turkey consultations.  End Summary 
 
¶2. (C) Davutoglu said FM Gul's meeting with Larijani was 
one-on-one in order to express Turkey's concerns regarding 
Iran's nuclear program more forcefully.  In his subsequent 
meeting with Larijani, PM Erdogan made clear Turkey opposes a 
nuclear-armed Iran.  He warned that Iran needed to change 
negative international perceptions by cooperating fully and 
openly with the IAEA.  Larijani pointed to the conclusion of 
the IAEA's latest report, suggesting that no evidence of a 
nuclear weapons program had been found.  In response, the 
Turkish side directed his attention to the report's paragraph 
citing gaps of knowledge concerning the Iranian nuclear 
program.  It urged Iran to close that knowledge gap and end 
the speculation about its nuclear program.  Davutoglu said 
Erdogan told the Iranians that Turkey does not want another 
crisis in the region, pointing to the effects of the conflict 
in Iraq. 
 
¶3. (C) Larijani reportedly complained that the IAEA is 
politicized and not objective.  Turkish officials reportedly 
pushed back.  They noted that El-Baradei had issued an 
objective report on the absence of a nuclear weapons program 
in Iraq, despite the convictions of some that one existed. 
This and other things pointed to El-Baradei's integrity. 
They urged the Iranians not to hide information from the IAEA. 
 
¶4. (C) Larijani appeared confident China and Russia were on 
Iran's side and would block a Chapter 7 UNSC resolution, 
according to Davutoglu.  Erdogan warned him against such 
assumptions and told Larijani clearly that Turkey would 
adhere to any UN Security Council resolution that is adopted. 
 Larijani tried to redirect the conversation to Iraq, 
alleging U.S. contacts with the PKK there.  Davutoglu said 
the Turkish side cut off these excursions; Larijani later 
repeated them in his public remarks. 
 
¶5. (C) Davutoglu said there might have been a slight 
softening of the Iranian attitude compared to previous 
encounters.  Larijani spoke less on Iran's right to pursue 
nuclear technology.  Several times he suggested that the 
Iranians were "ready" to resume negotiations with the IAEA. 
Davutoglu opined that Iran knows its limits, making it all 
the more important to continue intensive diplomacy and 
maintain "meaningful" diplomatic pressure on Tehran. 
 
¶6. (C) Davutoglu said Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon would 
be the worst scenario for Turkey.  Besides the humanitarian 
imperative of avoiding the spread of WMD, Iran's possession 
of nuclear weapons would drastically change the regional 
balance of power.  Davutoglu noted Iran's expanding influence 
in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and the Palestinian 
territories, reaching all the way to China.  Iran seeks to 
paint its anti-PKK measures as supporting Turkey, while 
spreading false information about U.S.-PKK contacts, 
Davutoglu explained.  Using such propaganda, Iran seeks to be 
the anti-American and anti-Western voice of all Muslims, 
Davutoglu warned, and a nuclear weapons capability is key to 
these designs. 
 
¶7. (C) Seeking to explain PM Erdogan's recent meeting with 
Iranian President Ahmadinejad at the ECO summit in Baku and 
noting the possibility of another Erdogan-Ahmadinejad 
 
ANKARA 00002666  002 OF 002 
 
 
conversation on the margins of the D-8 conference in Bali, 
Davutoglu said that President Sezer would normally attend 
such meetings but had cut back his travel schedule for health 
reasons.  As a result, PM Erdogan has had to fill in. 
Davutoglu indicated that Erdogan's message would be the same 
as that delivered to Larijani. 
 
¶8. (C)  Davutoglu asked Ambassador what the U.S. wanted 
Turkey to do to be helpful on Iran.  Davutoglu said he 
understood we were not looking for Turkey to mediate, but 
rather to influence Iran.  To do that Turkey must engage 
Iran, he stated.  Turkey will be affected most by any 
conflict with Iran, as a neighboring state and given Iran's 
position astride Turkey's access to Central Asia.  Turkey 
wants to know what the next steps will be and wants to 
consult with the U.S. as matters go forward.  Ambassador 
noted that Secretary Rice had not argued against a Larijani 
visit when she was here in April, but focused on the message 
he should get.  We appreciated the fact that Turkish 
officials gave him the right messages.  Turkey's voice with 
others in the international community can have impact. 
Ambassador said it would not be a good idea for Ahmadinejad 
to visit Turkey or for other high-level visits to take place. 
 At a minimum, there should be no surprises, and we should 
consult before any major steps are taken.  Turkey should 
avoid being perceived as seeking a mediating role, thereby 
undercutting the EU-3 and IAEA.  Ambassador noted that the 
Foreign Ministry planned to send a high-level group to 
Washington to discuss Iran in the next weeks and stressed 
that the U.S. welcomed the opportunity for further 
consultations. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON