TURKEY TO SEND EXPERTS TO PSI MEETING IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004061 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2014 TAGS: PARM ETTC TU SUBJECT: TURKEY TO SEND EXPERTS TO PSI MEETING IN COPENHAGEN AND OSLO REF: A. ANKARA 3740 ¶B. ANKARA 3117 ¶C. ANKARA 2719 Classified By: Pol-Mil Counselor Timothy Betts, reason 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (U) During a July 19 meeting on a different subject, MFA acting DDG for Disarmament Bulent Meric informed us that the GOT will send a delegation of experts to participate in the PSI Operational Experts Working Group (OEWG) as well as the Denmark Container Workshop in Copenhagen. This delegation will include experts from the military and other government and commercial agencies. ¶2. (U) The following individuals will comprise the Turkish delegations: a. Turkish General Staff Col Celal Pulat CAPT Mustafa Iptes b. Communications and Transport Ministry Director Cener Arseven c. Customs Undersecretariat Customs Expert Kenan Akca d. Maritime Undersecretariat Chief Pilot Metin Kankale Chief Engineer Asiye Turker e. Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters Association Fatma Kayhan ¶3. (U) The Turkish delegation will hold internal meetings the week of July 26 to finalize the arrangements for the delegation and the head of the delegation will be selected at that time. ¶4. (U) TGS sources have told us that one of its participants is a lawyer, the other is an operational expert. ¶5. (C) The GOT initially planned to have an MFA deputy director general lead the delegation. However, since Turkey has yet to receive a response on the requirements to become a member of the PSI Core Group, the GOT decided not to send a high level government official with the experts. In fact, MFA Disarmament Department Head Bulent Meric suggested to visiting EUR DAS Laura Kennedy on July 19 that the GOT could cancel its plans to contribute an aircraft to a PSI exercise in 2005 if Turkey is not admitted to the core group. He explained that the contribution of significant assets to PSI activities would be difficult to justify if Turkey was not part of the PSI decision making process. DEUTSCH