EXBS: TURKEY ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (OCTOBER

UNCLAS ANKARA 001975

SIPDIS

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DEPT FOR EUR/ACE- KFITZPATRICK, BHUNT, PMALIK
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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
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