TURKS REQUEST HIGH-LEVEL ASSURANCES ON US MATERIEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002577 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR PM A/S MULL E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2022 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PTER ETTC KOMC IZ MG UP CY TU SUBJECT: TURKS REQUEST HIGH-LEVEL ASSURANCES ON US MATERIEL FOR IRAQ ABOARD MV ONYX REF: A. ANKARA 2552 ¶B. ANKARA 2545 ¶C. STATE 108929 Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROSS WILSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) Action request at para 5. ¶2. (C) MFA U/S Apakan convoked Ambassador October 18 to discuss continued GOT concerns about the MV Onyx and its cargo. Apakan told Ambassador he has had many conversations in recent days with the Turkish General Staff about the Onyx and that he is "sick of ships". Concerns about the cargo of the Onyx go beyond the military. The Turkish media is aware of the armaments bound for Iraq and the public will be concerned, particularly given the prior diversion of arms into PKK and criminal hands affecting Turkish interests. The matter of letting the Onyx proceed without interference would be decided by Prime Minister Erdogan; President Gul is also concerned. Turkey needs assurances that the materiel aboard the Onyx will not fall into the hands of the PKK. DCHOD GEN Saygun had telephoned Ambassador the evening of October 17 with the same concerns. ¶3. (C) Apakan turned to Maritime/Aviation Deputy Director General Ozturk, who thanked the Embassy for the information it had provided thus far, but underscored that government and military authorities remain deeply concerned that the weaponry aboard the Onyx -- particularly the 84 Fagot anti-tank guided missile systems -- might be diverted into the hands of the PKK. Turkish suspicions have been reinforced in recent months by several cases of bad intelligence and misinformation regarding this shipment and other ships in the eastern Mediterranean. Ozturk specifically mentioned an October 5 French request that Turkey inspect the cargo of the MV Neptune in Mersin, which the MFA believes was based on bad information. Security Affairs Director General Guven also noted that neighboring Arab countries are also asking about the materiel aboard the Onyx. ¶4. (C) Ambassador conveyed to U/S Apakan what he told DCHOD GEN Saygun on October 17: We have no basis to ask the ship to turn around. Its cargo is U.S. property, purchased for the use of our armed forces to carry out training in Iraq of the Iraqi military. Ambassador acknowledged that the matter had not been handled well. Turkey's concerns about diversion of arms are reasonable. A way out, he said, is for us to provide Turkey with clear, credible information about our commitment to ensure that this materiel remains accounted for and is not diverted. He said that he would, as an initial step, raise this matter with DOD IG Kicklighter in the context of mechanisms his effort is putting into place regarding diversion. Credible safeguards will go a long way toward reassuring Turks about this sale and will enable the GOT to respond to expected press inquiries with the confidence that they reviewed this matter with us and that they received strong assurances that the military equipment would remain in the hands of U.S. or the proper Iraqi authorities. ¶5. (C). Action Request: Post requests Department provide, as soon as possible, a letter signed by a senior official to U/S Apakan stating that effective measures will be in place to prevent the diversion of this equipment to unintended users and that it should remain in the hands of the Iraqi Army after the equipment's eventual transfer to it. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON