EXBS: TURKEY ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (JANUARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000271 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 ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (JANUARY 2008) ¶1. Summary: EXBS Advisor met with EU Commission representative to coordinate future border security assistance programs with Turkish Customs. EXBS program completed Customs clearance of CT-30 Kits and Gerber tool Kits and moved them into temporary storage at Post, awaiting MFA acceptance of new Property Grant documents for transfer of equipment to Turkish Customs Enforcement. TNP requested postponement of radiation detection training by SLD due to internal Turkish process issues. ¶2. Completed Actions for the Reporting Period ¶A. Meetings During Recent Reporting Period 1) EXBS Advisor and Coordinator met with the following Turkish and European officials this period: a) Jan 4th - Turkish National Police (TNP) Assistant Director for Counter-terrorism and Operations Division, Ahmet Yayla. Yayla is the POC for coordinating radiation and detection programs for TNP. We discussed the planned delivery of radiation detection training and hand-held radiation detectors and pager by SLD, which was scheduled for Feb 4th - 16th, 2008. During this meeting, coordination of training location at Golbasi training academy site and delivery and acceptance of training materials, including hand-held detectors and pagers in time for this training, were discussed. Yayla assured us that the site and authority to conduct this training was already approved. Advisor requested to visit training site and met with Chief of External affairs prior to moving ahead with this program, as MFA would need to be notified of any U.S. provided training prior to arrival of training team. b) Jan 8th - Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey Trade Officer, Arslan Umut Ergezer. We discussed the current EU accession Twining project currently underway with Turkish Customs. Ergezer noted that Turkish Customs was progressing with internal process improvements for enforcement of current Custom regulations, but still lacked sound institution building. Current EU funded projects include procurement and installation of five new mobile x-ray vehicle and container scanning units and search sheds (inspection buildings with refrigeration units) at key land/sea container ports of Izmir, Istanbul/Ambarli, Samsun, Mersin and Gurbulak. EU is also funding a new Customs forensic laboratory in Istanbul and is currently entertaining a request from Turkish Customs to reprogram funds for a proposed Customs Training Academy, which lacks Turkish required funding support for infrastructure development, to procure a new railway scanning system (x-ray) for installation in the city of Van, on the main Turkish rail line from Iran to Syria. Both Advisor and Ergezer agreed to hold regular border security coordination meetings with EU and EXBS programs in the near term to ensure coordination of assistance provided to Turkish Customs. c) Jan 9th - TNP Department of Criminal Police Laboratories Head of Department, Seyit Demirci. We had a brief meeting with Demirci to review upcoming radiation detection training and confirmed that 48 Bomb Disposal officers from around all regions, including parliamentary and presidential Bomb squad units, would be the prime recipients of this training and equipment. He stated that few bomb disposal teams currently had the capacity to verify if radioactive materials are present in suspicious containers and vehicles and that it was critical for these teams to detect radioactive materials, if present, prior to inspecting and/or disabling suspicious packages or vehicles. He agreed to arrange for a site visit to the Golbasi training academy where this training is scheduled to be held. d) Jan 11th - TNP Criminal Police Laboratory Bomb Disposal Unit Head of Section, Cengiz Ozdemir. We visited the Golbasi training site and confirmed site was suitable for radiation detection training. Ozdemir discussed Turkish bomb squad teams' roles and responsibilities in ensuring the safety of Turkish citizens from the detonation of crude conventional, radioactive, and Bio-chemical devices by criminals and terrorists throughout Turkey. He agreed to store the hand-held detectors and pagers when they have cleared customs. e) Jan 14th - Turkish National Police (TNP) Organized Crime and Smuggling Section Head Mehmet Keskinkilic. We provided a brief update on the status of the pending Hazardous Material Response training, which Keskinkilic is eager to have his officers attend, and requested TNP input into the development of training and equipment programs for TNP to promote increased detection capabilities for potential WMD related materials and dual use items. Keskinkilic reiterated his desire to receive first responder related equipment (protection suits and detection equipment) and training so that his team could adequately respond to future biological or chemical incidents. We provided Keskinkilic with specifications for SABR 400 detection units during this meeting for his staffs review. f) Jan 18th - Turkish National Police Chief of International Relations Department Recep Gultekin. We discussed the upcoming radiation detection training program at Golbasi by DOE/SLD and the proposed Hazardous material training in the US for early spring. Gultekin confirmed his department was eager to receive both training programs and confirmed training was targeted at the correct departments within TNP. Cieslinski noted to Gultekin and his staff that all training programs delivered by both EXBS and DOE/SLD would be notified to MFA as required by diplomatic note. g) Jan 30th - Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade (UFT) Foreign Agreements Section, Cigdem Sagiloglu Erkoc. We provided Erkoc with a copy of the CTP, Inc letter which offered to provide GOT with extensive rights for Official Use of the ICP software provided during the ICP development program at no cost to GOT. Erkoc noted that this appeared to be what UFT required to progress with implementing the ICP application on a web based platform, but that UFT lawyers would need to confirm this and that they would provide us with a response as soon as their lawyers reviewed the content of this letter. h) MFA Head of Department for Nonproliferation and Disarmament Elif Ulgen. Advisor met with Ulgen to review status of EXBS agreement and to discuss avenues to continue EXBS program planning until agreement was implemented. She reiterated, as in past meetings, that the EXBS Agreement would not be implemented until the PUNE(123) Agreement was ratified by the US. She also noted that once EXBS is implemented by GOT, there would still need to be internal steps required by the GOT to approve an "implementation plan" for the EXBS agreement, which could take additional time. Advisor noted to Ulgen that this agreement has been held up for an extended period and that this agreement should be implemented as soon as possible to ensure that the US could adequately plan for future budget cycles to ensure Turkey received adequate funding for needed nonproliferation oriented export control and related border security programs for Turkey. She agreed and noted that EXBS implementation was also seen by GOT as important, but that there this was a political decision at much higher levels within GOT and again noted the 123 agreement needed to be completed before action would be taking on EXBS. ¶B. Training Conducted During this Reporting Period: - None. ¶C. Equipment Delivered During this Reporting Period: - Delivered 8- hand-held digital spectrometers, 18- radiation survey meters, and 100- radiation detector pagers to TNP Bomb Disposal Unit at Golbasi, which were procured by DOE/SLD for scheduled February training. ¶D. Imminent Training or Equipment Status Update: 1) 8 ea- CT-30 Kits and 200 ea- Gerber tool kits w/flashlights where released from Customs storage and delivered to Embassy for temporary storage while awaiting new Property Grant documentation by GOT. Expected delivery to Customs Enforcement on or about Feb 22nd, 2008 As requested in last month's report, Los Alamos Technical Associates (LATA) did provide payment for storage and handling fees. 2) In cooperation with EXBS, DOE/SLD scheduled six two day hand-held radiation detection training sessions reported in last month's cable for February 1 - 18, 2008 were postponed due to internal political issues between MFA and TNP. It is now known that TNP failed to inform MFA of their desire for this training and MFA pushed back on allowing TNP to receive this training at this time. Advisor, with assistance of DOE/SLD program manager, is working to see if this training can be rescheduled in March 2008. TNP has noted to MFA that this training is critical and MFA has indicated that they will support limited training once TNP provides adequate justification for this training. MFA remains reluctant to allow further nonproliferation oriented training or equipment deliveries until the EXBS agreement has been fully implemented. ¶E. Significant Developments in Export Controls, Nonproliferation, or Related Border Security: The Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade advised EXBS during the Jan 30th meeting that the proposed updates to current export control laws to bring Turkish law in line with EU export control standards, as part of the EU accession process, is now complete within UFT and will be sent to Parliament for review during Feb/Mar time frame. They are confident that these new laws will be enacted before the end of 2008. ¶3. Future Activities: EXBS Advisor and coordinator will to attend the commissioning ceremony in the port of Izmir for a new x-ray unit which was donated by the EU to Turkish Customs Enforcement on Feb 7th, 2008. Submitted request to EXBS Advisor Management Team for EXBS Coordinator to attend first week of UGA Export Control Academy in April 2008. Tuition is to be paid for by ISN/ECC and travel order and associated travel cost to be paid out of Ankara travel fund cite. ¶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, 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