EXPORT CONTROL COOPERATION WITH TURKEY

S E C R E T ANKARA 001936 SIPDIS STATE FOR NP/RA AND EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2013 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS TU IZ SUBJECT: EXPORT CONTROL COOPERATION WITH TURKEY REF: A) STATE 70762 B) ANKARA 1608 C) STATE 062402 (U) Classified by Political-Military Affairs Counselor Timothy A. Betts. Reasons: 1.5 (B and D). ¶1. (S) Pol-Mil counselor delivered ref a demarche to MFA DDG for Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs Haluk Ilicak April ¶2. Noting that Turkey's strategic location makes it a high-risk country for transit and transshipment of WMD-related material, he stressed the importance of the US and Turkey working together to stem proliferation-related activities. He commended the GOT's recent institution of catch-all export controls, and said the USG would welcome the opportunity to begin expert-level discussions on Turkey's system of laws and whether there were ways to make them more effective, such as DOJ's OPDAT and ICITAP. Pol-Mil counselor handed over the non-papers contained in ref a, and said the USG would be in touch regarding setting up a meeting of experts. ¶2. (S) Ilicak noted that recent exchanges between US and GOT officials, including A/S Wolf's February 26-27 visit and the EXBS-funded seminars in Turkey, were useful in furthering US-Turkish proliferation-related cooperation. He said he would share our proposal for further cooperation with other GOT agencies and provide us a formal response once he had their views. ¶3. (C) Responding to a question, Ilicak said that concerned GOT agencies were reviewing Washington's latest comments on the draft MOU regarding non-proliferation cooperation. The MFA and other agencies will discuss the agreement and attempt to reach a common position during an inter-agency meeting in Ankara April 16. Ilicak noted that for reasons that were unclear to him, TGS remained opposed to including conventional weapons in the agreement. Ilicak said he hoped the GOT would be able to provide the US a formal response shortly after the April 16 meeting. EDELMAN