TURKEY WARILY EMBRACING PSI

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001372 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2014 TAGS: PARM MOPS PREL TU SUBJECT: TURKEY WARILY EMBRACING PSI REF: ANKARA 1120 (U) Classified by Pol-Mil Counselor Timothy A. Betts, reasons 1.4, b/d. ¶1. (C) TGS Deputy J-5 MG Arslan told Pol-Mil Counselor February 18 that the GOT intended to act primarily as an observer of PSI in 2004 and planned more active participation in PSI activities in 2005. Earlier Arslan had joked with PolMilOff that Turkey planned to be involved in PSI "as little as possible." He noted that Turkey wanted to be involved in this important initiative but had reservations about some of the legal questions surrounding the activities. (With Pol-Mil Counselor, he indicated these questions had more to do with domestic Turkish statutes than international law.) In addition, resources in Turkey are always scarce. ¶2. (C) Comment: At the February 18 Joint Staff Talks the GOT shared the recent communique from its BLACKSEAFOR political consultations (reftel). The communique clearly indicates a regional willingness to use multinational forces to counter asymmetric threats, but GOT officials noted that Russia in particular was not ready to conduct PSI-like activities with the US in the Black Sea. The Turks share our concerns about proliferation and smuggling but are likely waiting to see how the international community writ large accepts another bold US initiative and to ensure that their eventual contribution is consistent with domestic law before jumping in with both feet. EDELMAN