Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ANKARA1043
2006-03-02 10:30:00
SECRET
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

TURKEY TO CONSIDER CFE FLANK ENTITLEMENT REQUEST

Tags:  NATO PREL MARR KCFE PARM TU GR RO NO BU RU 
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VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAK #1043 0611030
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 021030Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3624
INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS PRIORITY 6985
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST PRIORITY 0836
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 5359
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 0196
RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA PRIORITY 0998
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 4844
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA/DSCA// PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/425ABS IZMIR TU//CC// PRIORITY
RHMFISS/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU PRIORITY
S E C R E T ANKARA 001043 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2016
TAGS: NATO PREL MARR KCFE PARM TU GR RO NO BU RU
SUBJECT: TURKEY TO CONSIDER CFE FLANK ENTITLEMENT REQUEST

REF: STATE 27201

Classified By: Political-Military Counselor Timothy A. Betts, reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).

S E C R E T ANKARA 001043

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2016
TAGS: NATO PREL MARR KCFE PARM TU GR RO NO BU RU
SUBJECT: TURKEY TO CONSIDER CFE FLANK ENTITLEMENT REQUEST

REF: STATE 27201

Classified By: Political-Military Counselor Timothy A. Betts, reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) Per reftel, we approached the MFA on Feb. 28 and the
Turkish General Staff (TGS) on Mar. 1 with our request for
Turkey to consider a transfer of some of its unused CFE
ground equipment entitlements to the US to allow the
rotational training of US forces in Romania and Bulgaria.
MFA Deputy Director General (DDG) for NATO Affairs Serdar
Kilic appreciated the US GDPR review update. He deferred to
DDG for Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs Bulent Meric for
Turkey's position but did ask whether the US was planning for
a naval base in Romania, which we denied while affirming USN
ships would continue to call at Romanian ports. He also
sought and received confirmation that the numbers of
entitlements listed in the talking points reflect the total
amount the US is seeking -- not just numbers for Romania, and
that the US is seeking a permanent transfer of these
entitlements.


2. (S) DDG Meric informed us that he will initiate a process
with the TGS to examine all aspects of the issue, including
Turkey's current inventory of and modernization plans for
each of the three categories of equipment. He added that
"BLACKSEAFOR and Romania's intransigence" would also be taken
into account. (NOTE: Turkey has been frustrated in its
attempts to secure Romania's support of an expanded mission
for the BLACKSEAFOR maritime security organization for Black
Sea littoral states and Romania's participation in Operation
Black Sea Harmony, a maritime interdiction operation for
littorals. END NOTE.) Meric opined that Turkey's internal
review process would probably not have progressed enough by
Mar. 14 for him to discuss this issue with US counterparts on
the margins of the Brussels HLTF meeting.


3. (S) TGS J-5 Strategy Division Chief MG Serdar Savas and
J-5 Disarmament and International Security Matters Division
Chief BG Tuncer Erinmezler added little during our Mar. 1
meeting with them. They confirmed that the MFA will have the
lead on reviewing our request. None of our interlocutors saw
a need at this time for a visit by US experts to discuss the
entitlement issue in greater detail, but all welcomed the
opportunity to hold that offer in reserve if the need should
arise.


4. (U) COMMENT: While TGS will do most of the technical work
of calculating whether Turkey has any headroom to give up,
the MFA will have a large say in whether the GOT actually
will provide it. Therefore, Meric's warning about tying this
issue to Black Sea maritime security interests should be
taken seriously. END COMMENT.


WILSON