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.


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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

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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,

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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