Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ANKARA908
2008-05-12 10:07:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

EXBS: TURKEY ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (APRIL 2008)

Tags:  ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1628
RR RUEHBW
DE RUEHAK #0908/01 1331007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121007Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6242
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGUARD WASHDC
RUEAORC/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUCNEXC/EXPORT CONTROL AND RELATED BORDER SECURITY
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 000908 

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- (APRIL 2008)


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 000908

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- (APRIL 2008)



1. Summary: The EXBS Team met with Turkish Customs officials
and DHS/CBP Training specialist to review previously offered
training and expand new training initiatives to include
accession and OJT training programs. DHS/CBP training team
completed Z-Backscatter Van (ZBV) training for Turkish
Customs operators. EXBS Program met with various Turkish and
EU Commission officials to discuss proposed restructuring of
Turkey's border management system under the Ministry of the
Interior.


2. Completed Actions for the Reporting Period


A. Meetings During Recent Reporting Period

1) EXBS Advisor held consultations in Washington from March
31 to April 1. While in DC, Advisor met with Brett Golden in
DOS ISN/ECC, LaReinna Parker with DOE/INECP, Carson Kuo in
ISN/NTOC, and Sharon Mark and Bobby Pickett at DHS/CBP.
Topics included expected July/August implementation of EXBS
Agreement by Turkey, the need to pursue further CIT
engagement with Turkish UFT and Customs by moving ahead with
DOE/NNSA engagement with WMD CIT development and delivery of
XRF Density testers and associated training. Meeting with DHS
focused on continuation of Accession and OJT curriculum
development for Turkish Customs in August time frame by
DHS/CBP training specialists (in Ankara) and additional
DHS/CBP IBIT, IRIT training programs beginning in October.
Kuo, Golden and Advisor discussed the possibility of moving
ahead with a late fall briefing with Turkish officials by
ISN/NTOC on coordination of U.S. Nonproliferation initiatives
with Turkey.

2) April 8 - Met w/Undersecretariat of Customs, Enforcement
Head of Department Ender Gurleyik. Reviewed final
preparation for Z-Backscatter van training to begin April 10
at the Customs railway transit yard in Ankara. Gurleyik
provided a list of border locations that each CT-30 kit,
delivered to Customs in March, was assigned to, which include
the land border gates of Gurbulak (Iran),Oncupinar (Syria),
Cilvegozu (Syria),Yayladagi (Syria),Harur (Iran),and Sarp

(Georgia),as well as the maritime port of Samsun (central
Black Sea coast). As noted in last month's report, the
eighth CT-30 Kit was assigned to the Customs Enforcement
Smuggling unit in Ankara. During this meeting, Gurleyik also
provided a list of required detection equipment, per our
request, and recommended specific equipment locations for all
border ports of entry in Turkey, to include: IONSCAN 400B
units (14),SABRE 4000 Mobile Trace Seeker (34),and K910
Buster units (31). Advisor again discussed the need to
travel to various border ports of entry to better understand
how each port operates, but Gurleyik reconfirmed that MFA
would need to provide approval for all border visits. MFA
has indicated several times this will not occur until
implementation of EXBS Agreement.

3) April 9 - Advisor met with DHS/CBP training team members
Michael Chandarlis, Zulay Nunez and Renaldo Rivera to review
Z-Backscatter van training goals and objectives and to
provide them with a better understanding of Turkish Customs,
Turkish cultural issues, and general security awareness
issues for Ankara. Chandarlis (training specialist/team
lead) from DHS/CBP HQ and Nunez/Rivera are Custom Enforcement
Officers who operate the Z-Backscatter van at the port of
Miami.

4) April 10 - EXBS Team attended the first day of
Z-Backscatter van training and provided brief overview of
EXBS program with Turkish Customs to the six students and
port directors in attendance.

5) April 16 - EXBS Team and Michael Chandarlis (DHS/CBP Team
Lead) met w/Undersecretariat of Customs, and Customs
Enforcement Training and Custom export control officials. We
reviewed previously delivered descriptions of DHS/CBP course
offerings and discussed the need to progress with the
training review of Turkish Customs accession and on-the-job
training programs for Customs and Customs Enforcement
officers. In addition to DHS/CBP courses on enforcement, the
group noted that they would like to access U.S. expertise for

ANKARA 00000908 002 OF 004


Turkish Customs Inspectors, specifically on intellectual
property rights, and expressed an interest for more
professional exchanges at large U.S. Border areas and "in the
field" training as well. We discussed various professional
exchange opportunities available through both CBP and ICE,
and noted the pending Controlled Delivery course that is to
be delivered by DHS/ICE later this year, possibly in October.
Advisor inquired about the status of the new Commodity
Identification Training (CIT) program that Turkish Customs
and Turkish Atomic Energy Commission (TAEK) developed, with
EXBS supported DOE collaboration. Ms. Aynur Ciray, a Customs
Expert from Turkish Customs noted that the first course was
very successful, to the point of creating more demand for
investigations and reviews than the current system could
support. Customs and TAEK are prepared to begin CIT training
for 400 additional Customs officers, but are waiting for the
revision of Turkish export control laws, which is being
delivered to Parliament this summer, to ensure training
contains new legal requirements and their limited licensing
and CIT reach back capacity has been resolved under the new
requirement for each ministry involved to establish a joint
commission for export control licensing and regulatory review.

6) April 17 - EXBS Team officiated the completion of
Z-Backscatter van course and presented certificates of
completion.

7) April 22 - Advisor and Embassy Law Enforcement Work Group
(LEWG) met with ISN/ATA assessment team and discussed their
overall findings. Team members stated the Turkish National
Police (TNP) training academy was looking to train some
40,000 new Border Management Specialists in the future to
assume the role of Border Patrol officers between Ports of
Entry, which the Turkish Gendarme currently performs.
Advisor agreed with LEWG to investigate further to determine
the restructuring of Turkish Border Management institutions
were in fact being enacted within the Ministry of Interior.

8) April 23 - EXBS Advisor and coordinator attended a Border
Control Workshop at the Partnership for Peace Training
Academy in Ankara. This course was provided by Turkish
General Staff (TGS),Coast Guard and Gendarme officers to
approximately 18 regional Border Guard officials (Ukrainian,
Albanian, and Turkish) and showcased how the Turkish General
Staff, Coast Guard and Gendarme monitor and enforce Turkish
border controls concerning terrorist, smuggling and other
illicit activities at remote Turkish border locations. Two
DHS/CBP Border Patrol Officers presented both U.S. Border
management strategies for the U.S./Mexican border and the
U.S. Border Patrol's Case Management system, which could be
used as a model for Turkish and regional case management, to
include incident mission planning and personnel/resource
management during routine patrolling and illegal border
incursions operations against terrorists, illegal immigrants,
and/or smugglers.

9) April 24 - EXBS Team met with Integrated Border Management
Project Implementation Project Director, Senol Arslan, at TNP
headquarters. Aslan described the National Action Plan for
implementation of Turkey's Integrated Border Management
Strategy, to bring Turkish Border Management practices in
line with EU requirements for civilian control, in
anticipation of accession to the EU. He noted that this
project began with the publication of the National Action
Plan (NAP) in 2004, with the assistance of both Australian
and EU officials. The NAP, which is to be jointly funded by
Turkey (25%) and EU Commission (75%) will give the Ministry
of Interior responsibility for the management of all border
areas between each Port of Entry's (POE),which will continue
to be managed by Customs and TNP. The NAP envisions that TNP
will train approximately 34,000 new border officers,
replacing the conscripted border force which Gendarme
currently employs along its borders. An additional 20,000
new Coast Guard, Customs, and Police officials would also be
recruited to support this new Border Management organization,
which is envisioned to grow to approximately 54,000 personnel
in 2014. Turkish military and Gendarme would continue to
maintain border security within the southeastern section of
Turkey's borders with Iraq and Iran, as long as they remain

ANKARA 00000908 003 OF 004


militarized, to deal with the current PKK terrorist threat.
When asked about the legal and political requirements to
support this initiative, Arslan stated Parliament will need
to pass new laws giving the Ministry the ability to establish
this new force. While he stated there was political support
for this new strategy, he noted there has been no legislation
introduced for this initiative and no funds have been
authorized by the Turkish Parliament. Advisor will provide a
more detailed assessment of this proposed strategy Septel.

10) April 25 - EXBS Team met with EU Commission Senior
Managers, Arslan Ergezer and Burce Ari, to discuss current
and proposed Border Management projects that the EU
Commission are currently supporting with GOT. They noted
that the Rail X-Ray project for Van, previously discussed in
February/March Advisor reports, has been approved for funding
and they have moved forward with project reviews for seeking
bids along with GOT. On the matter of the NAP, Ari stated
the GOT, with EU and Australian support, completed a
comprehensive assessment in 2002. The National Action Plan
for Turkey's Border Management Strategy to civilianize all
border management forces was published, with EU and IOM
support, in 2004. This Plan has become the basis for a
proposed multi-million Euro project. This project is still
pending funding approval by the EU and, if approved, would
take until 2014 or later to fully implement. Turkey has
still not developed a legislative proposal consideration by
Parliament to enact required legislation to authorize this
new organization.



B. Training Conducted During this Reporting Period: -

1) Three GOT officials attended the March 31 - April 11
session of University of Georgia's Export Control Academy in
Athens, Georgia, as noted in March's monthly cable.

2) A three person DHS/CBP training team completed a 6 day
operational training program for six Custom Enforcement
officials who have been tasked with operating this van
throughout Turkey. The CBP team did an outstanding job at
providing both familiarization and review of equipment safety
precautions for each student. Both Nunez and Revira took an
individual approach to teach each student safety issues
associated with operation of this van and how to obtain the
best resolution/image for detecting illicit cargo in various
environments, to include inspecting vehicles ranging from
automobiles, delivery vans, semi trucks, fuel tankers, rail
cars, and Custom storage areas, including Esenboga airport.
The CBP team exceeded host country's and advisor's
expectations for this training and Post greatly appreciates
the teams high level of professionalism and dedication to
ensuring the success of this course in a challenging outdoor
training environment.


C. Equipment Delivered During this Reporting Period: None
this period.


D. Imminent Training or Equipment Status Update: Turkey will
be sending a three person delegation (Two Customs officials
and one UFT official) to the EXBS transshipment Conference to
be held in Tangier, Morocco from May 20 - 22, 2008.


E. Significant Developments in Export Controls,
Nonproliferation, or Related Border Security:

MFA and UFT have indicated that the new proposed regulations
for reforming licensing and reach back requirements has
completed the interagency review process, including the Prime
Ministry review, and is expected to be delivered to
Parliament in May 2008. The proposed new regulations will
streamline the three existing Export Control lists into one
consolidated National Control list consistent with the EU
Control list, create a new sensitive commodity list which
will be provided to Turkish industry, and create a new
Coordination Board composed of representatives of the
Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Undersecretariat of Customs, Undersecretariat of National
Intelligence, Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade, and the

ANKARA 00000908 004 OF 004


Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK). This Board will meet
every 15 days and in extraordinary sessions when requested by
board representatives. The Board will be tasked to achieve
uniformity in export control procedures employed by licensing
authorities and serve as a platform for the discussion of
export control policies for Turkey. It will also serve as an
advisory body for licensing institutions and may make use of
inspection capabilities of their ministries in order to
ensure compliance with export control laws and provide
industry oversight of specific export control and sensitive
items issues.


3. Future Activities: None at this time.


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