OPEN SKIES QUOTA SHARING - TURKEY LIKELY TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 003262

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SE AND EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2015
TAGS: PARM PREL TU OSCE
SUBJECT: OPEN SKIES QUOTA SHARING - TURKEY LIKELY TO
ACCOMMODATE USG DATE CHANGE, GRUDGINGLY

REF: A. STATE 99935

B. OSCE 257

Classified By: Charge d'Affairs James R. Moore, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.


1. (C) SUMMARY: In discussions with the Turkish General Staff
(TGS) and MFA on the Open Skies Shared Quota, Acting
PolMilCouns and Acting DATT discovered a large gap between
the US and Turkish interpretation of the original agreement
for a shared June flight which may have led to the recent
impasse over the US request to postpone the mission. In TGS'
view, the US offer to share a quota under US terms did not
meet the definition of "shared." MFA personnel said the
shared quota in question was actually a Turkish quota and,
for that reason, Turkey expected to take the lead in mission
planning and to determine other modalities. While both TGS
and the MFA expressed disappointment at the impasse and
considered re-scheduling the shared flight to be a challenge,
the MFA assured EmbOffs that Turkey considers the Shared
Quota issue a technical matter that the government would like
to resolve. TGS already has shared flights scheduled with
Germany and Ukraine during the July and August weeks the US
offered but is reviewing its options in an attempt to quickly
identify a workable time slot. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) In a June 7 meeting, TGS Disarmament and International
Security Department Head BG Ethem Haldun Solmazturk responded
to reftel A points by saying that, in his estimation, there
had been very little discussion between the US and Turkey
regarding the mission plan and operational modalities for the
proposed June 13-17 flights. Waving his English Dictionary,
he said he understood the term "shared" very clearly and
questioned how a mission planned solely by the US met the
definition of "shared," adding that all Open Skies member
countries must share with all countries the information
gathered during these flights. He opined that the purpose of
the shared quota flights was to build goodwill and to
demonstrate partnership with other Open Skies countries.
What was in it for Turkey if it had no involvement in the
mission planning?


3. (C) Solmazturk also questioned the US request to use a US
plane to conduct the flights, saying that the Open Skies
agreement specifically defines the type of plane to be used
in conducting these flights and there should be no advantage
to using a US plane versus a Turkish plane. Solmazturk said
Turkey had conducted several shared flights with Germany and
never run into the same communication problems and suggested
it was easier to work with Uzbekistan, where the President
made all the decisions. According to the General, TGS'
unhappiness with the perceived lack of cooperation had led it
to request the MFA to formally notify the US of Turkey's
concerns and to request a meeting in Vienna -- which he said
was to take place this week -- to iron out a solution.
(Note: Post never received a demarche to this effect. Our
only communication with the MFA on this issue was at post's
request to discuss reftel A points. End Note.)


4. (C) Regarding the US request to switch the shared quota
from June to August 15-19 (or secondarily to July 25-29)
Solmazturk called the process to change a quota difficult and
complicated, particularly when it involves switching between
quarters. However, when EmbOffs said the US would take care
of the notification process, Solmazturk switched gears and
asked how Turkey could be sure that the US would include
Turkey in planning for an August exercise given the perceived
lack of coordination on the proposed June exercise. EmbOffs
indicated USG interest in working with Turkey on planning for
an August mission and urged TGS' immediate acceptance of the
August (or July) date in order for the modalities to worked
in Vienna at the soonest opportunity. After venting his
frustration and exhausting his arguments against a change in
the date, Solmazturk thanked EmbOffs for the visit, welcomed
regular communication on the Open Skies issue and pledged
TGS' effort to work out a suitable arrangement.


5. (C) In an MFA meeting on June 8, Arms Control and
Disarmament Department Head Osman Yavuzalp, who has been in
his position less than two months, told EmbOffs he had just
learned about the Open Skies issue. According to Yavuzalp,
the Turkish government considers the Shared Quota arrangement
to be a technical issue for TGS to resolve. The MFA, while
disappointed that Turkey and the US have not been able to
resolve the modalities of a shared flight, and that the US
never responded to Turkey's draft "protocol" document on the
shared quota that was submitted to the US Verification
Center, did not want to turn this into a political issue.
Turkey already has a shared flight scheduled with Germany
during the July time frame offered by the US and with Ukraine
during the August time frame (Note: BG Solmazturk never
mentioned this; the MFA's information on the Ukraine flight
is at a slight variance with information contained in ref b.
End Note.) but, because the government believes it is
important to share a quota with the US, TGS is working to
identify a compromise solution, which Yavuzalp expected would
be presented to the US within the week.


6. (C) COMMENT: Sitting in on the MFA meeting was an unnamed
"advisor" on the Open Skies issue who had participated in the
February talks in Vienna. According to this individual,
Turkey considers the shared quota in question to be a Turkish
quota. For that reason, he said, Turkey had expected to take
the lead on mission planning, to offer a plane, etc. While
BG Solmazturk never suggested the quota belonged to Turkey,
the comments of both officials do suggest a gap in
understanding between the US and Turkey on the mechanics of
the quota sharing process. END COMMENT.
MOORE