MFA RAISES KIRKUK-YUMARTALIK PIPELINE AGAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003268 SIPDIS STATE FOR E, EB, EUR/SE, NEA/NGA NSC FOR QUANRUD AND BRYZA USDOC FOR 4212/ITA/MAC/OEURA/CPD/DDEFALCO USDOE FOR PUMPHREY/ROSSI E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2013 TAGS: ENRG ECON EPET AJ GG ETTC TU IZ SUBJECT: MFA RAISES KIRKUK-YUMARTALIK PIPELINE AGAIN REF: ANKARA 3036 Classified by Econ Couns Scot Marciel, Reason 1.5 (b,d) ¶1. (U) This cable contains an action request. See para 3. ¶2. (C) MFA Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Alev Kilic and Director General For Energy Hakki Akil told Econ Couns May 15 that, as the MFA had told us previously (reftel),the lack of oil flow in the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline was having a corrosive affect on the pipe and the storage tanks at Ceyhan. Econ Couns emphasized that the quickest way to get Iraqi oil flowing again was passage of the U.N. sanctions lift resolution, and again urged full Turkish support of that resolution. Kilic and Akil responded that the corrosive affect was increasingly daily and this could not wait "two to three weeks." ¶3. (C) Action request: We cannot confirm that the corrosive impact is significant and increasingly daily, as the MFA claims. Post would appreciate any guidance Department could provide to the MFA's inquiry on this issue, and on the technical aspects of the MFA's claim. PEARSON