COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR DOE/NNSA/DPTRAV

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007594 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS PASS TO CHERYL DOBBS, NNSA PASS TO LYNSIE FUNK, BNC PASS TO BETTY SHORTER, NNSA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG TRGY KSCA PREL OTRA TU SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR DOE/NNSA/DPTRAV HARVEY W. CLARK JR +3 TO TRAVEL TO TURKEY JANUARY 6 - 29, 2006 REF: SECSTATE 228525 Sensitive but unclassified. ¶1. (SBU) Mission warmly welcomes and grants country clearance to Department of Energy personnel Harvey W. Clark, Ronald August Hansen, Scott Eston Hulse and Christopher John Joines to travel to Turkey from January 6-29, 2006. The purpose of the visit is in support of Department of Defense customer training. Control Officer for the visit is Consulate Adana Deputy Principal Officer Andy Wilson, reachable at (90)(322) 346-6262 extension 0, 24 hours a day. POC at Incirlik Air Base is LTCOL Ventriglia, phone (90)(322) 316-6019. We understand no additional assistance is required at this time. ¶2. (U) Visas: All Americans traveling to Turkey must have a valid visa. Travelers without a visa can obtain a visa valid for ONE entry/three months at port of entry upon payment of a USD 20 fee. This fee is payable only in U.S. dollars cash. There is no fee for official travel if the visa is obtained outside of Turkey. ¶3. (U) HEALTH Safety: Information on vaccinations and other health precautions can be obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention hotline for international travelers (tel: 1-877-394-8747); fax 1-800-232-3299; or via the internet at HTTP//www.cdc.gov. ¶4. (U) Security Assessment: In the aftermath of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) there continues to be the potential for both transnational and indigenous terrorist groups to target U.S. interests in Turkey. After the Gulf War, the predecessor to the Turkish Terrorist Group Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) assassinated four Americans in Turkey and carried out numerous bombings of U.S. targets (mostly private sector businesses, although two rockets were directed toward the Consulate General in Istanbul). Subsequent to the ending of OIF hostilities, there have been isolated terrorist bombings attributed to DHKP/C and other indigenous terrorist groups in protest of OIF. Other Turkish terrorist groups with anti-Western sympathies include Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), Turkish Communist Party/Marxist Leninist (TKP/ML),Turkish Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Army (TIKKO) and Islamic Greater Eastern Raiders/Front (IBDA/C). Al-Qa'ida threats to target U.S. facilities in Turkey have been public knowledge for some time. On November 15, two synagogues in Istanbul were the targets of suicide car bombs. On November 20, 2003, the British Consulate General and the London-based HSBC bank in Istanbul were damaged by powerful explosions, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. These incidents represent a significant change from prior attacks in Turkey, which have previously involved small-scale, random bombings and small numbers of casualties. The investigations of these incidents in Istanbul remain open but transnational terrorist links are suspected. The potential for violence and terrorist actions against U.S. citizens and interests continue. The Turkish National Police (TNP) is quite responsive in their role as protector of U.S. diplomatic and military interests in Turkey. The TNP has provided enhanced coverage at each of our facilities in Ankara, Istanbul, Adana and Izmir. The incidence of crime, both violent and the more traditional tourist crimes (pick pocketing, purse-snatching, etc.),is relatively low throughout Turkey. Visitors to Istanbul should be aware that tourist-type crimes are more prevalent there, especially in the traditionalist tourist areas, such as Sultanahmet and Istiklal Caddesi. The security office encourages visitors to report any security incidents, including surveillance, to the RSO immediately. Useful security information about Turkey is available on the following websites: --Embassy Ankara: HTTP://WWW.USEMB-ANKARA.ORG.TR (Click on Security Matters) --Consulate General Istanbul: HTTP://USCONSULATE-ISTANBUL.ORG.TR ¶5. (U) For further information regarding travel in Turkey, consult the consular information sheet. The consulate ANKARA 00007594 002 OF 002 information sheet and public announcements are available on the internet at: HTTP://TRAVEL.STATE.GOV Other information is available on the following websites: --The State Department Consular Affairs (CA) websites: HTTP://WWW.TRAVEL.STATE.GOV/TURKEY.HTML --US Embassy Ankara: HTTP://WWW.USEMB-ANKARA.ORG.TR WILSON