VZCZCXRO6303
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0022 1630922
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110922Z JUN 08
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4656
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1198
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1020
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1260

UNCLAS ADANA 000022 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OREP PGOV PREL PTER ENRG TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY:  CODEL TANNER DISCUSSES EU, TERRORISM AND ENERGY 
WITH ADANA GOVERNOR ILHAN ATIS 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  CODEL Tanner met with Adana Governor Ilhan Atis on 
May 30.  During the meeting, participants discussed topics 
covering Turkey's European Union accession process, security and 
terrorism, and energy.  Atis said Turkey's bid for the EU was 
motivated by a desire to improve technology and economic 
wherewithal, and anchor itself in "comparable wisdom."  When 
asked why he thought the Europeans were putting obstacles in 
Turkey's way, the Governor said it was because Turkey was a 
Muslim country, adding French President Sarkozy's latest remarks 
had proved this.  Atis thanked the representatives for the 
United States' enduring support on Turkey's EU accession, noting 
the incongruity of some European countries that Turkey protected 
during the Cold War on NATO's flanks were now blocking her 
membership bid.  He also insisted that Turkey's democracy and 
economy are fully on par with those of the former Warsaw Pact 
that are currently EU members. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Atis also expressed his gratitude for recent U.S. 
support with the fight against the PKK.  He noted that this 
issue had caused ups and down in the bilateral relationship, and 
his perception of American disregard for Turkey's terrorism 
problem had, at one time, "left him cold."  But, with the 
cooperation between America and the United States - whether 
against the PKK or al-Qaida in Afghanistan - he said terrorism 
would soon be snuffed out.  When one member asked his thoughts 
on radical Islam-based religious terrorism, Atis dismissed the 
religious element.  Terrorists are simply terrorists, he said, 
and what justification they use to propagate terror was 
irrelevant. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Chairman Tanner asked about the Baku- Tblisi-Ceyhan 
pipeline, noting Turkey's strategic regional role as a transit 
country and future as an energy hub.  Atis praised the United 
States for helping to secure the pipeline through Turkish 
territory, and said plans were underway for turning the Ceyhan 
area, which will include three shipbuilding docks, a free 
industrialized zone, and up to three refineries, into a vital 
energy hub. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The evening of May 30, the Turkish-American Business 
Association (TABA) hosted a reception for the 29-person 
delegation.  During opening speeches, TABA officials called for 
increased trade between the United States and Turkey, and made 
an appeal for more direct investment.  The president of TABA's 
local chapter referenced the Armenian Genocide Resolution, 
calling it a "fabrication" and stating it should not continue to 
cast a shadow over the bilateral relationship.  While in Adana, 
the delegation also received a briefing and tour of Incirlik Air 
Force Base, with an emphasis on the facility's on-going support 
for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
GREEN