BACKLOG AT TURKEY-IRAQ BORDER THREATENS U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004126

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2014
TAGS: ETRD IZ PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: BACKLOG AT TURKEY-IRAQ BORDER THREATENS U.S.
SUPPLIES OPERATIONS TO IRAQ


Classified By: CDA Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) There has been a recent increase in the backlog of
trucks seeking to cross the Turkish border from Iraq. The
most recent report from the U.S. Army Movement Control Team
stationed on the Iraqi side of the border showed that the
backlog had reached over 7,000 trucks. This jump represents
almost a week's waiting time and is creating problems for
U.S. military, Humanitarian Assistance Agency and commercial
shippers in finding trucks to send to Iraq.


2. (C) Over the past 30 days, U.S. military sources report
1534 trucks per day have crossed into Iraq from Turkey;
however, only 1,349 have crossed back into Turkey, resulting
in the growing backlog in Iraq. The decline in the
northbound through-processing rate appears attributable to a
combination of factors, including difficult summer work
conditions (temperatures above 120 F),summer leave for
Customs employees, difficulty in finding Customs employees to
assign to work in hardship conditions, and stepped-up
security measures following the upturn in PKK-linked violence
in eastern Turkey. Furthermore, the rate at which trucks are
arriving at the border seeking to re-enter Turkey from Iraq
seems to have increased due to a shorter "turn-around time"
in Iraq as drop-offs are made closer to the border for
security reasons.


3. (C) According to U.S. military sources, another problem
has developed. Turkish authorities have recently begun
implementing a regulation that limits individual fuel tankers
to 75% of full load. Enforcement of this regulation -- which
is designed to protect the roadbed from the heavy weight of
full tankers -- was re-inistituted following the recent
expiration of a one-year waiver that had been agreed with
U.S. military authorities. (Note: we are still trying to
determine the origin and status of this rule.)


4. (C) Econoff raised our concerns with Akif Ayhan, Head of
Department in the MFA Directorate for Economic Affairs, on
July 22 and shared the U.S. statistics on truck processing
through the border. We emphasized that we needed the GOT to
take action immediately to increase the northbound processing
at the border and suggested that more personnel could be
assigned to handle the backlog and more processing stations
could be opened to process more trucks simultaneously.


5. (C) Ayhan asked his counterparts in the Foreign Trade
Undersecretariat and Customs Undersecretariat to respond to
our concerns. On July 23, Ayhan reported back that border
officials will begin immediately to discourage "fictitious"
truck traffic -- truckers who enter Iraq solely to buy cheap
fuel in Iraq (each truck is allowed to return with 800 liters
in the tank) and sell it on the Turkish Black Market at a
large profit. However, MFA reported that Customs officials
disputed our claim that the volume of northbound processing
has worsened in recent weeks. They also claimed that it is
not possible to increase the number of processing stations at
the border complex. Econoff responded that we cannot tell
Turkey how to improve the numbers, just that something must
be done soon.


6. (C) Charge also discussed the problems with MFA Deputy
U/S Kilic, suggesting that steps be taken to reduce the
backlog to more normal levels. Such a step would require,
again, additional personnel or temporary concentration on
northbound traffic for those personnel at the gate. Charge
also raised the issue of the regulation limiting fuel truck
loads to 75% of capacity. Kilic was unaware of this problem
and promised to look into both issues.
DEUTSCH