Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ANKARA157
2008-01-25 15:53:00
SECRET
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:
TURKEY RELUCTANT TO RECEIVE, SHARE INFORMATION
how-toVZCZCXYZ0002 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHAK #0157 0251553 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 251553Z JAN 08 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5051 RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0942 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU PRIORITY RHMFISS/425ABG IZMIR TU//CC// PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA/DSCA// PRIORITY RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU PRIORITY RUEUITH/TLO ANKARA TU PRIORITY RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU PRIORITY RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEPGAB/MNF-I C2X BAGHDAD IZ PRIORITY
S E C R E T ANKARA 000157
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2028
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY RELUCTANT TO RECEIVE, SHARE INFORMATION
REF: 06 AMMAN 8495
Classified By: Political Counselor Janice Weiner. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(d).
S E C R E T ANKARA 000157
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2028
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY RELUCTANT TO RECEIVE, SHARE INFORMATION
REF: 06 AMMAN 8495
Classified By: Political Counselor Janice Weiner. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(d).
1. (S) Anticipating the flow through Turkey of foreign
fighters and others affiliated with known terrorist
organizations will increase in the future, the FBI has
proactively reached out to Turkey's law enforcement and
intelligence communities to initiate formal information
sharing on known or suspected terrorists (KST). In April
2007, a joint FBI-CIA briefing team met separately with
senior leadership from the Turkish National Police (TNP) and
from the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (TNIO).
The team offered both organizations direct access to the
FBI's Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS),which
contains the largest USG interagency biometric database of
KST.
2. (S) As of late-January 2008, the Government of Turkey has
yet to respond to the information-sharing offers from Embassy
Ankara's LEGATT, even though the (former) proposal involves
only receiving information, with no expectation of
reciprocity. Separately, while Turkey was among the 14
countries that attended a "Middle East Regional Fingerprint"
conference in Amman in November 2006, it was not among the
five countries (Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco)
which enthusiastically welcomed the Jordanian government's
proposal for a regional terrorist information sharing
database (reftel).
3. (S) Comment: The GOT may be hesitant to take part in
these exchanges for several reasons. First, the programs
would require a level of cooperation and transparency to
which Turkey and its stove-piped bureaucracy is not
accustomed. Second, Turkish authorities may not trust the
integrity of the systems, despite the technical and
programmatic guarantees that would be put in place, and may
believe accessing them would make Turkey more vulnerable to
cyber exploitation. Third, Turkish officials may be hesitant
to cooperate because, in some instances, simple possession of
actionable information might entail an implied obligation to
take actions that could be politically difficult. It will
take persistent high-level persuasion to convince the Turks
of the benefits of these valuable tools for combating
terrorism. The recent improvement in bilateral relations
due, in part, to enhanced military information sharing may
offer an opportunity to press forward with these initiatives.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey
WILSON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2028
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY RELUCTANT TO RECEIVE, SHARE INFORMATION
REF: 06 AMMAN 8495
Classified By: Political Counselor Janice Weiner. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(d).
1. (S) Anticipating the flow through Turkey of foreign
fighters and others affiliated with known terrorist
organizations will increase in the future, the FBI has
proactively reached out to Turkey's law enforcement and
intelligence communities to initiate formal information
sharing on known or suspected terrorists (KST). In April
2007, a joint FBI-CIA briefing team met separately with
senior leadership from the Turkish National Police (TNP) and
from the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (TNIO).
The team offered both organizations direct access to the
FBI's Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS),which
contains the largest USG interagency biometric database of
KST.
2. (S) As of late-January 2008, the Government of Turkey has
yet to respond to the information-sharing offers from Embassy
Ankara's LEGATT, even though the (former) proposal involves
only receiving information, with no expectation of
reciprocity. Separately, while Turkey was among the 14
countries that attended a "Middle East Regional Fingerprint"
conference in Amman in November 2006, it was not among the
five countries (Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco)
which enthusiastically welcomed the Jordanian government's
proposal for a regional terrorist information sharing
database (reftel).
3. (S) Comment: The GOT may be hesitant to take part in
these exchanges for several reasons. First, the programs
would require a level of cooperation and transparency to
which Turkey and its stove-piped bureaucracy is not
accustomed. Second, Turkish authorities may not trust the
integrity of the systems, despite the technical and
programmatic guarantees that would be put in place, and may
believe accessing them would make Turkey more vulnerable to
cyber exploitation. Third, Turkish officials may be hesitant
to cooperate because, in some instances, simple possession of
actionable information might entail an implied obligation to
take actions that could be politically difficult. It will
take persistent high-level persuasion to convince the Turks
of the benefits of these valuable tools for combating
terrorism. The recent improvement in bilateral relations
due, in part, to enhanced military information sharing may
offer an opportunity to press forward with these initiatives.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey
WILSON