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