TURKEY: MISSING/DETAINED AMCITS IN IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001476 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/IR ROB MCINTURFF E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM IR TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: MISSING/DETAINED AMCITS IN IRAN REF: SECSTATE 80300 Classified By: Acting Polcouns Kelly Degnan, Reasons 1.4 b, d. ¶1. (C) We delivered reftel points on June 11 to MFA Head of Department for South Asia Ahmet Yoruk and South Asia Desk Officer Ilhan Sener. MFA was familiar with the cases of Dr. Esfandiari and of Robert Levinson. Yoruk said he understood the importance of this issue to the United States and resolved to communicate our concerns and the background on the five AMCITS to the Turkish Embassy in Tehran. Yoruk expressed some doubt about Iranian cooperation, noting that Turkey saw a quid-pro-quo from Iran over the Iranian "diplomats" detained by the U.S. in Erbil when it sought to mediate the crisis over the captured British seamen. ¶2. (SBU) We will follow-up with MFA to learn of any response from their Iranian interlocutors, and seek opportunities to discuss this further with appropriate interlocutors. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON