REQUEST FOR NIE BRIEFING TEAM TO VISIT ANKARA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000006

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/SE FOR MALIK, GARBE; P FOR MUSTAFA AND GUPTA; NEA/IR
FOR CPOMERRER; T FOR TIMBIE; ISN/RA FOR KESSLER AND NEPHEW

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/2017
TAGS: KMNP MNUC PARM IR TU
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR NIE BRIEFING TEAM TO VISIT ANKARA

Classified By: Charge Nancy McEldowney, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Post requests Ankara be added to the Iran NIE
briefing team's itinerary. We understand that Ankara is
currently not among the twenty posts that the Iran NIE
briefing team plans to visit. Turkey, as the only NATO
member bordering Iran, has substantial economic ties with
Iran, and is in position to play a key role in our dipomatic
efforts to address Iran's nuclear program. A briefing for
the GOT on the NIE and our latest assessment on Iran would be
an important element in this effort. Adding Ankara to the
European or Middle East portion of the briefing team's
schedule should be a relatively low-cost step to take, and
could significantly help reinforce to GOT why it is critical
to sustain diplomatic pressure on Tehran. It would be a
valuable supplement to the NATO briefing and would allow
in-depth dialogue with Turkish policymakers in both the MFA
and the General Staff. Given Turkey,s strategic location,
its economic, social and political contacts with Iran, and
its willingness to convey helpful messages to the GOI through
political channels, we believe a stop in Ankara could help
advance U.S. objectives.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

MCELDOWNEY