HABUR BORDER CROSSING CLOSED TO OCPA CONTRACTORS;

UNCLAS ANKARA 004243 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR NEA/NGA, EUR/SE AND PRM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ENRG ETRD IZ PREL TU SUBJECT: HABUR BORDER CROSSING CLOSED TO OCPA CONTRACTORS; SLOWDOWN IN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM SHIPMENTS REF: ANKARA 4232 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. ¶2. (SBU) Following the U.S. detention of Turkish special forces in northern Iraq, the GOT closed the lone Turkey - Iraq border crossing at Habur to U.S. contractors. UN traffic has also been impacted. Kellogg, Brown and Root's (KBR's) representative in Adana told us that the border closed to KBR shipments into Iraq as of 18:00 on July 4, though the GOT is allowing empty trucks with Turkish drivers to return to Turkey. KBR stopped loading benzine and LPG on July 5. About 1000 trucks are now idling, and another 200 to 300 are loaded with benzine and LPG and waiting at the border for permission to cross. KBR told us that Baghdad is out of LPG, though the situation is not as dire for benzine. The World Food Program's (WFP) Ankara representative told us that the border is not formally closed to humanitarian aid shipments, but the flow has slowed dramatically to 20 to 30 trucks daily. Empty trucks are being permitted to cross back into Turkey. WFP has not stopped loading its trucks, but might take this step on July 7, as it is concerned about possible demurrage charges by Turkish trucking companies. WFP advised that it plans to raise these issues with the Turkish MFA at a meeting scheduled for July 7. PEARSON