VZCZCXRO3727
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHIT #0631/01 1971355
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161355Z JUL 07
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7285
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000631 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: NORTHWEST TURKEY'S TEKIRDAG IN CAMPAIGN MOOD 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  We visited Tekirdag located just up the 
Marmara seacoast northwest of Istanbul a few days after the 
press splashed claims of U.S. support to the PKK by three 
masked persons said to be PKK defectors across newspapers and 
television sets.  The pleasant town, known for excellent 
kofte and raki, sported all the competing party banners - 
sometimes artfully draped from buildings, across roads and 
down flag poles.  The youthful Justice and Development Party 
(AKP) mayor related his accomplishments and other parties 
gave us their election sales pitches - and asked about U.S. 
foreign policy - all except for the Republican Peoples Party 
representative who cancelled his meeting with us, perhaps in 
reaction to the news reports.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Tekirdag is pleasant seacoast town on the way to 
somewhere else.  The area of some 650,000 inhabitants 
continues to welcome a burgeoning number of Anatolian 
transplants drawn by its growing industrial base, thriving 
agriculture and seaside location.  The town famous for 
Turkey,s national drink, raki, and really delicious kofte 
(mildly seasoned hamburger grilled on a stick) boasts nearby 
energy depots and some 1200 factories most associated with 
the textile industry.  Despite the industrial base, acting 
governor Erdogan Ozdemir boasts that "blue flags" signifying 
environmentally safe beaches have flown for the last two 
years.  Sunflower oil is the premier agricultural product, 
followed by wheat, olives and grapes. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Justice and Development Party (AKP) Mayor, 
Ahmet Aygun, pointed to a chart high above his desk listing 
his 30 or so campaign promises.  All but five were checked 
complete.  The town swimming pool, a highway by-pass around 
the town and a railroad spur to the main north-south line 
connecting to the Istanbul airport and a new port facility 
projected to be the 5th largest in Europe were underway, but 
not complete - demonstrating once again, he claimed, that AKP 
means to deliver on its promises.  Asked the motivation for 
his hard work, Aygun paused and said it was because of 
religion - he wanted to have a positive ledger with the 
Almighty at the end of his life.  He said his wife and 
daughter wish he would quit politics. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Visits to party chairmen were memorable for one or 
another reason.  At Genc (GP) - "Youth Party" - headquarters 
for example, we were welcomed by five aging men - all but one 
of whom had passed from the salt and pepper stage to the salt 
stage of hair color.  Their presentation consisted of a 
dispirited rendering of GP campaign promises. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) At Democrat Party (DP) headquarters, 25 or so local 
board members listened as chairman Mehmet Ali Vidinel 
rehearsed DP's heritage from the 1950s through the 1980s and 
up to the moment.  He said True Path Party (DYP) would have 
had a parliamentarian from Tekirdag in parliament after 2002 
had DYP passed the 10% barrage nationwide.  We took the 
opportunity to respond to questions of the assembled. 
Questions quickly fastened on the big U.S.-related story of 
the week, "confessions" of three PKK defectors claiming 
eyewitness stories of U.S. personnel delivering heavy weapons 
to PKK militants on Kandil mountain in northern Iraq. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) National Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Yunus Meral 
directed a barrage of complaints and charges about USG 
interference in Turkey's affairs or accusations that the U.S. 
was doing too little to promote Turkey's interests in Europe 
and especially with respect to the PKK.  We listened and 7 
times in the course of the meeting, asked if the chairman had 
any questions he would like to ask.  Finally, one of his 
colleagues spoke up and asked about the U.S. position on the 
importance of NATO as a continuing alliance and particularly, 
Turkey's role in it.  We acknowledged that some, in the wake 
of the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, considered NATO's 
usefulness to be a thing of the past.  The U.S. approach is 
different, actively identifying new and vital leadership 
roles for the alliance.  Turkey's place has always been 
critical in NATO and is today as it has played a leading role 
in the effort to stabilize Afghanistan. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Comment.  We were disappointed when the chairman of 
the Republican People's Party (CHP) canceled our appointment 
the day after the PKK defector story broke.  The issue - 
whether or not voiced - apparently topped almost everyone's 
mind the day of our visit.  A traditional, warm Turkish 
parting at both DP and MHP made evident that sincere, 
respectful and direct public diplomacy still wins hearts and 
minds - or simply - counts in the heartland.  End comment. 
 
ISTANBUL 00000631  002 OF 002 
 
 
OUDKIRK