AUSTRALIA GROUP: NO INDICATION THAT THE GOT WILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004908 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NP/CBM E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2013 TAGS: ETTC PARM PREL SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA GROUP: NO INDICATION THAT THE GOT WILL BREAK SILENCE ON USG CHEMICAL PRECURSORS PROPOSAL REF: SECSTATE 219619 ¶1. (U) Classified by Charge d'Affaires ad interim Robert Deutsch. Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶2. (C) On August 4, polmiloff delivered reftel points to Omur Yurdakul, First Secretary in the MFA's Disarmament Department. Yurdakul said that she was not aware of any intention within the GOT to break silence on the USG's proposal, submitted at the June 2003 Australia Group (AG) plenary, to add nine chemical precursors to AG control. She said that she would make inquiries and report back to the Embassy if she discovered any inclination to break silence on this proposal. ¶3. (C) Yurdakul also reported to polmiloff that the GOT was nearing completion on a draft law, prohibiting the export, import, acquisition, or storage of any chemical on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) list without a license. When asked how this law differed from the current regulations in place on this subject, Yurdakul reported that the draft law defined strict penalties for violations (ranging from fines to imprisonment),as well as the specific chemicals which are to be placed under control. ¶4. (C) The draft law has almost completed the coordination process within the government ministries, Yurdakul said. Afterwards, it will be sent to the Prime Ministry for final government blessing and then to Parliament. Yurdakul also noted that the GOT has begun work on a similar law regarding items used to develop biological weapons. DEUTSCH