TURKEY REVIEWING REQUEST TO DENY FLIGHT CLEARANCE

S E C R E T ANKARA 002188 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC IR SY TU SUBJECT: TURKEY REVIEWING REQUEST TO DENY FLIGHT CLEARANCE TO IRANIAN PARS FLIGHT TO SYRIA REF: STATE 118934 Classified By: Acting DCM Dan Sreebny, reasons 1.4 (b) (c) (d) ¶1. (S) Per reftel request, we met with MFA Aviation Department Head Hamit Olcay and Acting South Asia Department Head Ilhan Sener at 1030 local on August 24 to deliver demarche concerning reftel Iranian PARS Air flight. Olcay checked immediately with the MFA flight clearance department to determine whether or not the flight originating in Teheran had requested clearance to overfly Turkey. He reported to us that the GOT had not received a clearance request for this flight. He further assured us that civil and military radar coverage along the Turkey-Iran border was such that it would be impossible for the flight to have crossed into Turkish airspace without GOT knowledge. He surmised that the flight had not yet taken off from Tehran. ¶2. (S) Ocay told us that Turkey was prepared to cooperate in denying overflight clearance to the flight, but stated that this would be a political decision which would have to be taken at a senior level. He pointed out that it would useful to have more specific knowledge about the cargo being transported on the flight. Flagging previous incidents in which the GOT had taken action, he noted that information provided by "another embassy" had on one occasion embarrassed Turkey when one interdicted flight contained no illicit cargo. ¶3. (S) We pointed out that while we were not able to provide any further information about the 30 tons of unspecified general cargo on the PARS flight, it was of serious concern because PARS Aviation Services is listed is listed under UNSCR 1747 for its association with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a point Sener subsequently confirmed. We also emphasized the that the Iranian consignee for the cargo was the Hezareh Company, which may be the Hezareh SEVCOM Satellite Science and Technology Engineering firm. Furthermore, we cited as evidence of Iran's intent to violate UNSCR 1747 the May 25 incident in which Iranian-origin arms being shipped to Syria were recovered in Turkey from derailed freight train. Olcay took the point and pledged raise our request to the political level and to monitor incoming overflight requests to watch for this aircraft. He reiterated that a political determination would have to be made on what, if any, action Turkey would take should the aircraft request overflight permission. ¶4. (S) Charge intends to raise this issue with MFA Undersecretary Apakan on the margins of a scheduled meeting this afternoon. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ MCELDOWNEY