CFE FLANK ENTITLEMENTS: TURKS WILLING TO WORK ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000515 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2027 TAGS: PARM PREL KCFE NATO GR NO TU SUBJECT: CFE FLANK ENTITLEMENTS: TURKS WILLING TO WORK ON NOTIFICATION TEXT REF: A. STATE 19334 ¶B. LAURENDEAU - SIEBENTRITT E-MAILS ¶C. ANKARA 0438 Classified By: PMA COUNSELOR CARL SIEBENTRITT FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) In the absence of MFA Arms Control Deputy Director General Ahmet Muhtar Gun, we pressed Department Head Serhan Yigit on March 7 for Turkish reaction to our comments on the draft MOU for the transfer of 35 tank and 20 ACV entitlements, explaining our desire to complete notification of the transfers before the end of March (refs). Yigit said he understood the urgency and had requested the MFA's legal department, currently examining the MOU, to expedite its work. He expected the legal department to present its views on the MOU by March 12. ¶2. (C) We asked Yigit if Turkey would be willing to coordinate the text of the notification in advance of closure on the MOU, in order to meet our March 31 target. Yigit saw no problem in starting to work on the notification and said his office would consider any draft language we could provide. He was unable to say whether the MFA would agree to actual transmittal of the notification before agreement is reached on the MOU, but undertook to raise this with DDG Gun upon the latter's return to the office on March 9. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON