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Viewing cable 06ISTANBUL9, ISTANBUL'S AK PARTY CHAIRMAN GETS PERSONAL AT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06ISTANBUL9 2006-01-04 13:09 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Istanbul
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM TU
SUBJECT: ISTANBUL'S AK PARTY CHAIRMAN GETS PERSONAL AT 
MIGRATION CONFERENCE 
 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified-- not for internet 
distribution.  This message was coordinated with Embassy 
Ankara. 
 
1. (U)  Summary:  A December International Migration 
Symposium in Istanbul provided useful insight into Turkish 
perspectives on the social justice and security implications 
of migration, with many Turkish concerns mirroring those in 
the U.S.  An unexpected note was Istanbul AK Party Chairman 
Mehmet Muezzinoglu's recounting of his personal journey from 
Greek to Turkish citizenship in the mid-1980's.  The 
symposium also provided a platform for Mission outreach; we 
participated on a panel about the legal aspects of migration 
and offered an overview of the U.S. experience.  End Summary 
 
2.  (U)  Turkey's Melting Pot:  Home to a large and diverse 
immigrant (and migrant) population, Istanbul's Zeytinburnu 
municipality sponsored the December 8-11 symposium.  Mayor 
Murat Aydin, deeming Istanbul a "United States of Turkey," 
called on governments to focus on social justice and foster a 
sense of belonging among immigrants.  A panel of academic 
experts agreed, urging policymakers to look at the real roots 
of societal problems associated with immigration, and arguing 
that poverty, racism, isolation and a lack of recognition are 
what lead to crime and insecurity in immigrant communities. 
 
3.  (SBU) We'll stop 'em at the border:  In contrast, 
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu and Istanbul Governor Guler 
both focused heavily on security aspects related to 
immigration.  Guler underscored the success of Turkish 
security forces in stopping undocumented immigrants from 
reaching Europe, adding that Turkey is working to improve 
detention facilities and fill "gaps" in the system.  Minister 
Aksu explored the relationship between migration and 
terrorism, underlining the linkages between trafficking of 
drugs, weapons and humans.  Turkey is cooperating with 52 
countries in these fields, he said, pointing to GOT efforts 
to enhance passport controls, install optic readers, adhere 
to international civil aviation standards, and develop new 
Turkish passports as evidence of Turkey's commitment to 
cooperation.  He praised NGOs, the Istanbul Municipality and 
international organizations for anti-TIP efforts, 
specifically mentioning shelters for TIP victims.  (Note: 
His failure to draw clear distinctions between smuggling and 
trafficking throughout his presentation was not surprising. 
The difference between the two is murky for most of the 
Turkish public.  End note.) 
 
4.  (SBU) A personal perspective:  Participating in a panel 
discussion, AK Party Istanbul Chair Mehmet Muezzinoglu gave 
perhaps the most personal presentation of the conference, 
downplaying any academic credentials, but stressing his 
"practical and life experience."  Muezzinoglu explained that 
he had been born a Greek citizen in Western Thrace in the 
1960's, where 120,000 Muslim Turks were "left over" from 
Ottoman times.  He shared several experiences from his 
childhood in Gumulcine reflecting his "emotional life" there: 
 repeated visits to his family's store by state inspectors 
who levied fines for trivial reasons, and being taken to a 
jandarma station when he was eight, when the bike he was 
riding had a broken light.  His father was required to 
retrieve him at the station and pay a fine. 
 
5.  (SBU)  "I am fleeing from Greece":  After coming to 
Turkey as a student, he married and had two children, but in 
order to immigrate permanently, it was necessary to return to 
Greece and enter Turkey illegally, he said.  (Note: 
According to Muezzinoglu, Turkey was not interested in 
decreasing the Muslim population in western Thrace at that 
time, so did not facilitate immigration for those who wanted 
to leave Greece.  End note.)  In August 1983, right after 
Friday afternoon prayers, he paid to return to the Turkish 
border with a smuggler, hidden in a farmer's truck.  He then 
walked 25 minutes until he encountered two privates on 
patrol, who took him to an intelligence post and later to 
Edirne.  Ten days later, he learned he would be allowed to 
stay.  He became a citizen three years later, in 1986, since 
which time, he said, he has been unable to return to Greece. 
 
6.  (U)  US Mission Outreach:  Addressing the gathering on 
its third day with a talk on "Regular Migration Programs: 
The Example of America," we focused on the petition basis of 
U.S. immigration law, highlighting our history as a nation of 
immigrants, deriving strength from diversity.  We stressed 
that immigration policy did not develop in a vacuum, but 
reflected political and social realities of the day, and 
emboff used his own family's background -- Haitian immigrants 
who came to the U.S. in the 1950's -- to cement the point. 
Countering perceptions we sometimes encounter that our 
immigration laws seek to promote a "brain drain" from 
countries such as Turkey, we also underscored that U.S. 
immigration law focuses on family reunification above all 
else. 
 
7.  (U)  Comment:  The conference was timely -- especially in 
the wake of the riots in France, which captured extensive 
attention here -- and provided a forum for discussing the 
tension between social welfare concerns and the security 
imperatives of controlling immigration.  Though its focus was 
immigration, many of the discussions were relevant to one of 
Turkey's biggest "movement of people" issues, the migration 
of a largely Kurdish population from southeast Turkey to 
cities in western Turkey, and the accompanying stress on 
infrastructure and housing in cities like Istanbul. This 
issue will remain on the agenda as Turkey's EU harmonization 
process moves forward. 
SMITH