S12-03: TURKS REQUEST FURTHER DETAILS & UPDATE ON

S E C R E T ANKARA 001737

SIPDIS


NP/CBM, EUR/SE, IO/PHO, NEA/NGA, AND INR/SPM


E.O. 12958: DECL: 1.6 (X1, X6)
TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC IZ TU UNSC CBW
SUBJECT: S12-03: TURKS REQUEST FURTHER DETAILS & UPDATE ON
S13-03, S01-03, AND S32-02


REF: A. STATE 70562

B. ANKARA 1666

C. ANKARA 1037

D. ANKARA 891


(U) Classified by DCM Robert S. Deutsch. Reasons 1.6 (X1)
and (X6).



1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5.



2. (S) Polmiloff met Ferhat Alkan, of the MFA Iraq Desk, and
delivered Ref A points on March 18. As has been the case
with similar demarches, MFA showed appreciation for the
information and a ready willingness to forward our points to
the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, the General
Staff, and, via the Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade, to
Turkish Customs. Alkan expressed a degree of surprise about
our close interest in CBW. He said that he thought it would
be unlikely that U.S. troops would have to engage Iraqi
forces at close enough quarters for CBW to be an issue.



3. (S) Separately and later on March 18, econoff raised Ref
A points and followed-up on Refs B, C, and D with Tevfik
Mengu, DG for Agreements at Foreign Trade. Contradicting
what MFA told us as reported Ref B, Mengu said that if
shipments of goods to countries other than Iraq were legal,
Foreign Trade would not be able to stop them. Econoff
emphasized that stainless steel heat exchangers and
meteorological balloons are controlled items that could
facilitate Iraq's use of CBW against U.S. forces, and asked
Foreign Trade to do all it could to stop their delivery to
Iraq.



4. (S) Econoff asked Mengu to check with Turkish Customs on
the companies identified in reftels (and previous):


-- Enrofloxacin (Ref A): Mengu checked with Foreign Trade
staff during the meeting and found no record of any
application by "Vetal Veterinary Vaccine Company" to export
to Iraq.


-- Stainless steel heat exchangers (Ref B): Mengu noted that
there is a very reputable Turkish construction firm called
Atilla Dogan, which is presumably not the same firm
identified in Ref B. After checking with Customs, he
reported that the company had made no shipments to Iraq.


-- Meteorological balloons (Ref C): Mengu phoned Yavuz
Engineering and Industry during the meeting and contacted
Turkish Customs about the export. Yavuz denied any shipment
of these items to any customer. Customs reported no record
of any shipments by this company to Iraq.


-- Atropine autoinjectors (Ref D): Mengu confirmed what MFA
told us as reported in Ref B. The Turkish firm has not
shipped any autoinjectors to Iraq since August 2002, and the
company was in fact doing very little business of any kind
due to tight health-care budgets in Turkey.


Econoff will follow-up to determine whether there is any
record of shipments for these companies/items to Jordan or
Syria.



5. (S) Action Request: Both MFA and Foreign Trade asked us
for further information on Vetal Veterinary Vaccine Company.
Our interlocutors were concerned that the company's name
might be insufficient for locating the Turkish side of the
transaction. Post requests that the Department provide
further identifying details, if available, regarding Vetal
Veterinary Vaccine Company. End Action Request.


PEARSON