COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR CODEL PENCE + 8 TO

UNCLAS ANKARA 002383

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AFIN AMGT ASEC GM GR IZ JO OREP TU
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR CODEL PENCE + 8 TO
TRAVEL TO TURKEY MAY 7 - 8, 2006

REF: SECSTATE 66587


1. Embassy Ankara welcomes and grants country clearance to
the House International Relations Committee Congressional
Delegation led by Rep. Mike Pence and including Rep. Mike
Ferguson, Rep. Lincoln Davis, Rep. Jim Costa, Professional
Staff Members Sam Stratman, Alan Makovsky and Hillel
Weinberg, and Military Assistants Col. Michael Deyoung and
Maj. Cameron O'Neil for travel to Turkey May 7 and 8. The
purpose of visit is to meet with Turkish political and
military officials. Point of contact for the visit at Embassy
Ankara is Deputy Political-Military Affairs Counselor, Maggie
Nardi, who can be reached through the Embassy switchboard at
90-312-455-5555.


2. Hotel reservations have been confirmed in Ankara at the
Sheraton Hotel for the night of May 7. Tel: 90-312-468-5454;
fax:90-312-467-1138. Confirmation numbers are 576951973,
586951973, 596951973, 616951973, 626951973, 636951973,
656951973, 356951985, and 806951987.


3. 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
USD 30 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.


4. 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-CDC-FAXX,
1-800-232-3299; or via the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov.


5. 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.
bases in Turkey have been public knowledge for some time.


6. 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. Mission Turkey is confident the TNP will continue
their high level of responsiveness for U.S. facilities. 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 traditional 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://WWW.USCONSULATE-ISTANBUL.ORG.TR


7. For further information regarding travel in Turkey
consult the Consular Information Sheet. The Consular
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) website:
http://www.travel.state.gov/turkey.html

--Turkish Daily News (English language Turkish newspaper):
http://www.turkishdaily news.com


--Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
http://www.mfa.gov.tr

--The Republic of Turkey home page:
http://www.turkey/index.html

--Weather for Turkey:
http://www.wunderground.com/global/tu.html

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON