EXBS: TURKEY ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002727 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NP/ECC- YWONG, ACHURCH, BGOLDEN DEPT FOR EUR/ACE- DSILLIMAN, BHUNT, PMALIK DOE/NNSA- TPERRY, LPARKER, EDESCHLER CBP/INA- BWATTS, BPICKETT DOC FOR DCREED E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TU SUBJECT: EXBS: TURKEY ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE - OCTOBER 2007 REF: 2004 STATE 146478 ¶1. Summary: The EXBS Advisor transition was completed with Robert Cieslinski assuming duties as EXBS Advisor to Turkey. The language in the property grant to transfer Z-Backscatter Van (ZBV) to Turkish Customs has been reviewed with A/LM/AQM and is under consideration by Turkish Customs. Turkish perception of lack of progress toward U.S. ratification of the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (123) Agreement continue to hamper current and future EXBS and DOE/SLD activities, including implementation of the EXBS nonproliferation agreement. ¶2. Completed Actions for the Reporting Period ¶A. Site Assessment and Meetings During Recent Reporting Period 1) Oct 3 - Robert Cieslinski reported to post to assume duties as EXBS Advisor. Kevin Lyons, outgoing EXBS Advisor, provided an overview of current programs to include issues concerning the transfer of Z-Backscatter Van, CT-30 Kits and Academy curriculum training review with Customs, as well as DOE/SLD equipment and training programs intended for both Turkish Customs and Turkish National Police. 2) Oct 4 - Incoming and outgoing EXBS Advisors and EXBS Coordinator, Erhan Mert, made introductory calls on Turkish National Police and Turkish Custom officials including: a) Mr. Mehmet Ali Keskinkilic, Chief of Organized Crime Section, Turkish National Police (TNP). We discussed various past initiatives (RADACAD and Seaport training in Miami) and the need to complete the recently canceled HAZMAT training stateside, possibly in early CY08. We provided Mr. Keskinkilic with a document outlining the proposed DOE/SLD equipment program to include the assembly of radiation detection vans, radiation pagers, hand held detectors and cameras, which he agreed to review. TNP has been a major recipient of recent EXBS funded workshops in U.S. b) Mr. Riza Mehmet Korkmaz, Undersecretariat of Customs, Director General for EU and External Relations. We discussed training and equipment requirements related to the transfer of Z-Backscatter van, future training programs for the Turkish Customs Training Academy, and his desire to continue to work closely with the EXBS program. c) Mr. Ihsan Kocer, Undersecretariat of Customs, Deputy Director General for EU and External Affairs. We provided a draft report on the findings of the CBP review, conducted this summer, of Turkish Customs Academy training programs. We stated that, with Turkish Customs agreement, CBP is prepared to conduct the final phase of this curriculum review using DHS/CBP trainers in Turkey, and to provide Turkish Customs with recommendations to update the Academy's training curriculum. d) Mr. Mehmet Guzel, Turkish Customs, Deputy Director General for Enforcement. Mr. Guzel is the main POC for training initiatives to Turkish Customs Enforcement Officers in the field and for all enforcement related equipment deliveries for Customs. We confirmed that his office has submitted input on the DOS Property Grant Agreement to MFA. He will be our main POC for the delivery of the Z-Backscatter van, which is currently in storage in Ankara, and the CT-30 kits and related enforcement equipment which are due to be delivered this fall. Mr. Guzel also briefly introduced us to Director General of Customs Enforcement Hayrettein Cevher. ANKARA 00002727 002 OF 004 3) Oct 5 - We met with Ms. Elif Comoglu Ulgen, Section Chief for MFA Department of Arms Control and Disarmament (DACD). Ms. Ulgen, who is slated to become DACD department head, provided us with the formal feedback for the property grant agreement from Turkish Customs for the delivery of the Z-Backscatter van. We agreed to review and provide a final U.S. draft of this document for formal acceptance by the Turkish government. Ms. Ulgen also informed us of the GOT decision not to accept the DOE/SLD offer to replace the older U.S-provided radiation detection portal monitors with a newer, more capable model, opting instead to depend on a portal monitor indigenously produced by TAEK (ref. b). 4) Oct 10 - Kevin Lyons officially concluded his tenure as EXBS Advisor. 5) Oct 17 - During a follow-up meeting with DDG for Customs Enforcement Guzel, we provided him the latest copy of the U.S. approved property grant agreement. He accepted the U.S. changes, and stressed that he was most concerned about receiving the van and putting it to work for Customs. He noted that Turkish Customs, External Affairs Office and the MFA would have to provide final approval of this grant . Responding to our request to visit border crossing locations over the next six months, Guzel said this would have to be approved by MFA, since it would involve several agencies, including Customs, the TNP, and the MFA. He offered to provide us with a presentation at Customs headquarters on their organizational structure and an overview of their border inspection programs (which took place on November 6). We discussed the new TAEK-built portal monitors and he stated that TAEK had been working on its own portal monitors even as discussions about U.S. replacement of older portal monitors were ongoing. He confirmed that TAEK has already deployed four new monitors at Habur crossing on the Iraq border, in both the inbound and outbound lanes. He noted TAEK plans to maintain current U.S.-provided monitors for the time being, and operate TAEK portal monitors to confirm they are operating effectively with the U.S. monitors. Mr. Guzel also noted that TAEK,s monitors are capable of providing remote alarm information to Customs Headquarters in Ankara. We reiterated our desire to work closely with TAEK and Customs to ensure that these portal monitors are effective. He stated that TAEK and MFA have not addressed the other equipment that SLD has offered to Customs (RIDDS, Pagers, cameras, etc.) and we agreed to raise this with MFA in future meetings. 6) Oct 18 - During a follow-up meeting with TNP,s Keskinkilic, he said his section is willing to take part in the training events under the DOE/SLD program, but it must be approved at a higher level within TNP. He explained that his section's main responsibility is to combat organized crimes and not solely nuclear material smuggling issues. The EXBS advisor undertook to seek MFA and TNP external relations office's approval of the DOE/SLD program so that the program can begin as soon as possible. 7) Oct 26 - We met with Dr. Ahmet Yayla, TNP Assistant Director for Counter Terrorism Division to discuss the DOE/SLD proposal to provide TNP with increased detection capabilities and our desire to move forward with continued EXBS related training activities (including HAZMAT training and border interdiction programs). Yayla said he does not plan to seek MFA and TAEK approval of the DOE/SLD proposal, or any other nonproliferation related activities until the U.S. provides GOT with some substantive information on the status of U.S. efforts to ratify the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (123) agreement. He ANKARA 00002727 003 OF 004 said the president of TAEK had indicated that he will not approve nonproliferation cooperation between the U.S. and any GOT agency until the GOT sees U.S. progress toward ratifying the 123 Agreement. Dr. Yayla also noted the need for improvement in U.S.-Turkish relations in general, stating that concerns related to the Armenian Genocide Resolution and U.S. inaction toward the PKK are impeding GOT willingness to engage in bilateral cooperation. Yayla stressed he is eager to work closely with U.S. interdiction and enforcement programs in the future, but believes that if he pursues any of these new activities at this time, it will result in high-level resistance, which would be hard to overcome. We agreed to continue to meet and work toward movement on these issues on a regular basis. 8) Oct 31 - We met with Mr. Ziya Demirduzen, Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade's (UFT) Director General for Agreements, to confirm that UFT was continuing to work on the Internal Control Program (ICP) workshop implementation and to check on GOT progress in revising Turkey's Dual-Use Export Control laws. Demirduzen said UFT has been working on transferring the customized ICP software to a web-based platform before beginning the delivery of the ICP program to Industry. He anticipates this will be done within the next 6-8 weeks and UFT will begin to roll out ICP workshops beginning in Istanbul and then Izmir in the December/January time frame. Demirduzen agreed to consider our request for either the EXBS Advisor or Coordinator to attend one of these ICP workshops. Demirduzen declined our offer to provide an ICP program specialist to support UFT's implementation efforts, stating that UFT is able to manage the ICP rollout on its own for now, but may require assistance with the ICP software in the future, once it has been deployed to industry. Regarding ongoing revisions to Turkey's Export Control Laws, Demirduzen stated that his staff is working with Parliament and that they are almost finished with the first draft. Demirduzen also declined our offer to provide legal and regulatory experts to assist his office. We also inquired about the status of the Industry Government Forum, which has been dormant for some time. He confirmed that it will still be several years until the revised laws are in place and that he wanted to complete ICP deployments first, to better inform industry of Turkey,s export control programs before holding a large forum. ¶B. Training Conducted During this Reporting Period: - None. ¶C. Equipment Delivered During this Reporting Period: - None. ¶D. Imminent Training or Equipment Status Update: 1) As noted earlier, it is possible that the property grant will be approved by GOT within the next few weeks for the acceptance of the Z-Backscatter van. It is anticipated that once this document is approved, the EXBS Advisor will be able to deliver the ZBV van to Customs within 4-6 weeks. ¶E. Significant Developments in Export Controls, Nonproliferation, or Related Border Security: The Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade is working closely with Parliament to update current Export Control Laws to be closer in line with EU Export Control Laws. ¶3. Future Activities: EXBS Advisor anticipates visiting several Ports of Entry within the next 4-6 weeks, pending MFA and Customs/TNP acceptance and approval. ¶4. Red Flag Issues: None. ¶5. Contact information for EXBS Program Ankara is: Robert Cieslinski, EXBS Advisor, Email: CieslinskiRL@state.gov, Office (90) (312) 457-7210, ANKARA 00002727 004 OF 004 Cell (90) (533) 716-4808 and Erhan Mert, EXBS Coordinator, Email: MertE2@state.gov, Office(90)312 457-7059, Cell (90) (533) 264-8407. EXBS Program Office Fax (90) (312) 468-4775 Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ MCELDOWNEY