SPECIAL 301: TURKEY DISAPPOINTED BUT FOLLOWING UP

UNCLAS ANKARA 001019 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT PASS USTR FOR LISA ERRION, JENNIFER CHOE-GROVES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ECON KIPR TU SUBJECT: SPECIAL 301: TURKEY DISAPPOINTED BUT FOLLOWING UP REF: A. STATE 56771 ¶B. ANKARA 1017 ¶1. (SBU) Foreign Trade Undersecretariat (FTU) DDG for the Americas Yuksel Akca and Department Head Atilla Bastirmaci were disappointed, but not surprised, by reftel points about the 2007 USTR Special 301 Report. They welcomed the idea of a more structured dialogue or plan of action in the coming year to assist with their removal from the Priority Watch List in 2008. ¶2. (SBU) Subsequent to the April Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council meetings (ref B),FTU officials began following up on some of the issues raised during those meetings. Bastirmaci told us that they were examining with the Turkish Ministry of Health (MOH) whether or not a time limit for completion could be placed on the remaining generic applications filed prior to January 1, 2005, for which the MOH has not yet made a decision. In addition, they are examining whether or not changes can be made to allow pharmaceutical marketing approval applications to be published in Turkey's official gazette to better ensure that patent rightholders have the information needed to protect their patents if needed. They also agreed to ask the Prime Ministry whether or not the PM would consider renewing the 1998 decree outlawing the use of pirated software in government offices and will coordinate with BSA on business software pirating. We will continue to follow-up and welcome the opportunity to work with Washington agencies to design the referenced "Action Plan" as soon as possible. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON