TURKEY CTRY CLR GRANTED FOR IRAN BRIEFING TEAM

UNCLAS ANKARA 000612

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC EUN IR KNNP PARM PREL TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY CTRY CLR GRANTED FOR IRAN BRIEFING TEAM

REF: STATE 19792


1. (U) Mission welcomes and grants country clearance to USG
interagency team led by Ambassador Schulte to travel to
Turkey from February 15 through February 18, 2006. Embassy
control officer for the visit is EXBS Advisor Kevin Lyon, who
can be contacted 24 hours/day at (90)(312)455-5555, ext. 0.
Mr. Lyon will arrange for transportation to and from the
airport and hotel reservations in Ankara. Hotel and
transportation information will be forward via separate
correspondence.


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). Subsequet to the ending of OIF hostilities,
there havebeen 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, 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
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