EXBS: TURKEY ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (OCTOBER

UNCLAS ANKARA 001975 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NP/ECC- YWONG, ACHURCH, BGOLDEN DEPT FOR EUR/ACE- KFITZPATRICK, BHUNT, PMALIK DOE/NNSA- TPERRY, LPARKER, EDESCHLER CBP/INA- TBAILEY, BPICKETT DOC FOR DCREED E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TU SUBJECT: EXBS: TURKEY ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (OCTOBER 2008) Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle appropriately. ¶1. Summary: TDY EXBS Advisor Kevin Cummings and EXBS Coordinator met with Turkish Customs Enforcement officials during this period and provided a comprehensive briefing on U.S. Customs. Final preparations have been confirmed for the November 12-24 visit of Director General of Customs Enforcement Akkoc to the US. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Completed Actions for the Reporting Period: ¶A. Meetings During Recent Reporting Period by TDY EXBS Advisor and Coordinator: 1) Oct 7 - Met with Mehmet Guzel, Deputy Director General (DDG) Turkish Customs to discuss the upcoming VIP visit to the US. The DDG provided the names of the five customs officials nominated for the visit. We discussed the various ports to be visited as well as the itinerary and the DC agenda. Guzel also requested a briefing on US Customs from TDY EXBS Advisor Cummings when he learned that Cummings was a retired US Customs officer with over 30 years of service. We agreed to provide this briefing on Oct 15. 2) Oct 15 - Cummings provided a comprehensive briefing on U.S. Customs at Turkish Customs Enforcement Headquarters for 12 Turkish Customs officers/experts including both the Director General of Enforcement Neset Akkoc, who will head the VIP Customs delegation to the US, and the DDG for Enforcement. The group was very attentive, had a fair grasp of US Customs and Border Protection's role, and asked numerous questions concerning the CTPAT, CSI and even the Secure Freight Initiative program which was not mentioned in the briefing documents. Cummings discussed the similarities with the EU's Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) and the CTPAT program. DG Akkoc expressed keen interest in how interagency information sharing is done at the NTC. The concept of "need to know" as well as the third party rule (that information provided by companies or shippers is not disclosed to third parties and does not prejudice the competitive positions of persons providing this information) and the exemption in the Privacy Act for task forces was explained. Akkoc was very positive and liked the concept of the US advance notice requirements. Turkish officials also �00A;asked about nuclear detection portal monitors. Cummings explained that the US is currently using Neutron-Gamma portals. (Note: Turkey is considering an offer by DOE/SLD to provide a significant number of portal monitors. End note). The briefing lasted over two hours. Afterwards, DG Akkoc discussed the upcoming VIP visits to US Customs and three US ports of entry. Akkoc offered Cummings a tour of the Turkish Command and Control Center (CCC). 3). Oct 16 - EXBS Staff toured the Turkish Customs Command and Control Center at Customs Enforcement Headquarters and received a briefing by a Turkish customs official. He explained the organizational structure and demonstrated the cryptographic system, closed circuit TV system, which was originally established at five ports and recently expanded to nine other ports using EU funds. Under this system, both headquarters and regional offices can watch/oversee operations live, including viewing cargo exams conducted in the inspection facility through the approximately 15 cameras installed at each port. EXBS staff was given a demonstration of the CCTV system and was able to watch part of a cargo search taking place live at one of the ports. The CCC is also able to monitor all transit vehicles through a vehicle registration system and transponder program. When a transit vehicle enters Turkey the license plate is automatically photographed and entered into the data base, manifest information and personal data on the driver is also entered, as is the prescribed itinerary and the maximum time allowed in Turkey. A transponder is then affixed to the vehicle and the system can track the vehicle as it transits and the transponder is removed by Customs at the departing port. There are mobile enforcement teams that respond to any violations that are indicated when monitored on the CCC screen. The system also has a color coding ability to signify high risk cargo and/or suspect vehicle operators. All vehicle registration data is retained in the system. It appears that there is no pre-arrival time requirement for trucks and their cargo. The only pre-arrival requirement by Turkish Customs is a three-hour requirement on vessel cargo. Turkish officials indicated that the pre-arrival requirement is in the process of being lengthened but did not say when the new requirement will enter into effect. There are presently two separate data systems at the CCC. One is in the Custom Directorate that processes Customs activities unrelated to enforcement. It is an import and export transaction based system that includes a form of risk targeting. The other data base, maintained in the Customs Enforcement Directorate, contains all case data and violator or suspect data from 1994 to present including intelligence from the Anti-Smuggling teams. In addition, Customs Enforcement enters data received from Gendarmerie, National Police and Coast Guard. Other data is added from the Balkan Information System, the Vehicle Pursuit Program and the Vessel Pursuit Program. Customs Enforcement presently has 24 mutual assistance agreements including with the US. Turkish Customs is in the process of trying to merge the two data systems in order to build a national targeting system. Turkish officials discussed the EU procurement process. Turkey has encountered problems purchasing high tech equipment from the EU. Under EU rules, once the specifications are met, the lowest price wins the contract. This can result in inferior equipment because there is no consideration of past performance or quality. Cummings noted examples that he experienced in other countries where the equipment was inferior because quality and past performance was not considered when evaluating bids. The experts from Turkish Customs agreed and indicated that this did pose problems for Turkey. Cummings noted that EXBS and US programs are more flexible and do take into consideration quality and past performance as well as price. Cummings suggested that Turkey consider contacting EXBS if they had some special equipment requests. 4). Oct 17 - TDY EXBS Advisor Kevin Cummings departed Post. 5). Nov 1 - EXBS Advisor Robert Cieslinski returned from home leave and resumed normal duties. ¶B. (U) Training Conducted During this Reporting Period: - TDY Advisor briefed Customs Enforcement (as noted in Paragraph 2 Above). No other training provided this period. ¶C. (U) Equipment Delivered During this Reporting Period: None. ¶D. (U) Imminent Training or Equipment Status Update: Plans for a Senior Turkish Customs VIP visit to US DHS/CBP and related training and border units has been finalized with DHS/CBP. The delegation, headed by Director General of Customs Enforcement, Nesel Akkoc, will depart Ankara on November 12. The delegation will be in Washington for two days and will meet with CBP and DOE Officials. This delegation will also visit CBP facilities in Reston VA, Harpers Ferry WV, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick GA, the Ports of Charleston and San Diego, and Airport Port of Entry at JFK during this visit. The delegation is scheduled to return to Ankara on November 24th. ¶E. (U) Significant Developments in Export Controls, Nonproliferation, or Related Border Security: Turkey's revised Export Control draft legislation discussed in previous reports is currently with Parliament and is expected to be passed into law sometime in early 2009. ¶3. (U) Future Activities: None at this time. MFA told us the next Export Control Inter-Agency meeting, which is scheduled for Nov 21, will discuss and coordinate Turkish requests in response to the proposals for cooperation offered during the September 17-18 EXBS and Nonproliferation Seminar. ¶4. (U) Red Flag Issues: None. ¶5. (U) Contact information for EXBS Program Ankara is: Robert Cieslinski, EXBS Advisor, Email: CieslinskiRL@state.gov, Office (90) (312) 457-7210, 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.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON