FBI DIRECTOR'S VISIT: DPM CICEK WELCOMES CLOSER CT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001774

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2029
TAGS: OVIP PTER PREL KCRM IZ TU
SUBJECT: FBI DIRECTOR'S VISIT: DPM CICEK WELCOMES CLOSER CT
COOPERATION

Classified By: POL Counselor Daniel O'Grady, for reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. FBI Director Mueller offered to share
biometric data with Turkey, post a second FBI agent in Ankara
and assist Turkey with strengthening its counterterrorism
legislation, FBI Director Mueller told DPM Cicek during a
November 18 meeting. Biometric sharing would require changes
to Turkish law, the DPM reported; relevant legislation was
before the Parliament. When the Director raised U.S.
concerns about terrorists transiting Turkey, Cicek said he
shared those concerns, but countered that many Turks question
why the U.S. does not do more to stop PKK terrorists from
attacking Turkey from northern Iraq. The DPM also offered to
share draft CT-related legislation and information on the
TNP's new terrorism task force with the Embassy. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) FBI Director Robert Mueller met November 18 with
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Cemil Cicek to discuss a wide
range of law enforcement cooperation issues. The Director
was accompanied by Assistant Director Sean Joyce, DCM Doug
Silliman, Special Assistant Debra Smith, Legal Attache
Raymond Duda and the embassy interpreter. Director Mueller
noted the FBI's strong relationship with the Turkish National
Police (TNP) in both counter-terrorism and cyber crime
investigations and the need to share information even more
quickly in the age of globalization. We should seek
opportunities to take the already close cooperation to the
next level, he stated. Director Mueller also took the
opportunity to reiterate an invitation to Washington to
discuss the issues planned for Cicek's postponed July visit.


Taking Cooperation to the Next Level
--------------


3. (C) The FBI has extensive biometric databases that the
United States is willing to make available to Turkey, the
Director told Cicek. These databases include DNA and
fingerprints from IEDs recovered in Iraq that have been
examined by the FBI laboratory. He urged Turkey to
participate in an arrangement that would allow the TNP to run
its own fingerprints and DNA through the FBI's database; in
the case of a "hit," the FBI could then release the
associated intelligence to them.


4. (C) Noting the value of joint task forces, Director
Mueller offered to assign a second FBI Agent to Ankara to
work exclusively with the TNP on counterterrorism matters.
Ideally, this would take the form of a task force or working
group relationship that could facilitate a more timely
exchange of intelligence. The Director referred to the
success the FBI has seen using a similar arrangement with the
Hungarian National Police on organized crime.


5. (C) Turning to the issue of counterterrorism laws, the
Director recalled U.S. inability to adequately address
terrorism in the United States before 9/11 because of poor
counter-terrorism laws. The lack of a "material support" law
had hampered U.S. efforts, he observed. That had now been
remedied and laws are now more effective. It was his
understanding, the Director continued, that Turkish law does
not apply to terrorist attacks against non-Turkish targets
and suggested Turkey consider changes that would allow them
to address terrorism across the board so it can be more
effective. The FBI is willing to help Turkey strengthen its
counterterrorism laws, he offered.


6. (C) Without directly responding to the Director's
proposals, DPM Cicek acknowledged that Turkey needs new
levels of international cooperation on terrorism. He had
learned first hand the importance of intelligence sharing at
the time of the 2005 Istanbul bombings while he was Minister
of Justice. European countries, however, were not providing
enough counterterrorism cooperation, he lamented.
Cooperation on counterterrorism requires trust, and Turkey
lacks that trust with European countries. Europe has
detained PKK drug kingpins, but has not returned them to
Turkey.

Change in the Works

--------------


7. (C) The sharing of biometric data, DMP Cicek continued,
requires changes in Turkish law regarding the protection of
personal data. A bill to address this issue was currently
pending in Parliament but was being held up by Parliament's
preoccupation with the Democratic Opening, Armenia, and other
counterterrorism issues. Separately, Parliament was also
considering a bill to establish a CT-focused Undersecretariat
within the Interior Ministry. The new undersecretariat would
provide a new perspective on a range of counterterrorism
issues, including the need to pass new laws. Currently, MOJ
is the only agency that deals with new laws; the new
mechanism will add a necessary new viewpoint. Cicek offered
to have the draft bills forwarded to the Embassy, along with
information on the TNP's new terrorism task force proposal.
As countries which had both suffered from terrorist attacks,
cooperation between the United States and Turkey is important.


8. (C) U.S.-Turkey CT cooperation had improved significantly
since his last visit in 2005, Director Mueller observed,
particularly since the agreements of 2007. Nonetheless, the
United States remains concerned about terrorists transiting
Turkey, often through Istanbul. It would be difficult to
explain to the U.S. public if terrorists who had transited
Turkey were to attack the United States. Why, it would be
asked, hadn't the U.S. Government done more? Cicek replied
that he shared the Director's concerns. Turkey has, indeed,
been sharing information on terrorism, including Al Qaeda,
with the U.S. Actually, the Turkish public was asking
similar questions. The Turkish public believes Iraq is under
U.S. control and yet no terrorists have been returned to
Turkey from Iraq. As the sole superpower, shouldn't the
United States be doing more to stop PKK terrorist attacks on
Turkey from northern Iraq? Turkey, he noted, has given names
of 244 terrorists to the United States and Iraq, yet none
have been turned over. Director Mueller promised to convey
Cicek's concern to the relevant U.S. authorities, but added
that many people think the U.S. has more control in Iraq than
it actually has. He also reminded the DPM of the robust
intelligence sharing the United States has been providing on
Turkey's southeast border.

More than Counterterrorism
--------------


9. (C) Shifting gears, the Director turned to other areas of
law enforcement cooperation between the two countries that
could benefit from further strengthening. Our two countries
have a history of successful joint investigations on cyber
crime, narcotics trafficking, trafficking-in-persons, and
organized crime; this intelligence sharing must continue, he
stated. All involve trans-national crime and require us to
work cooperatively. DPM Cicek agreed on the need to work
together on these issues, pointing out that both human and
drug trafficking help finance terrorism. For both of these
crimes, Turkey is a transit state, not a destination, he
noted. Turkish law enforcement agencies are addressing these
problems; concrete results in Turkey are helping the
international community. To illustrate the point, Cicek said
reports of successful drug busts on narcotics trafficked from
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran were in the newspapers
"nearly every day." Nonetheless, we must all work still
harder, he stated.


10. (U) Director Mueller did not have an opportunity to clear
this message.
Silliman

"Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s
gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"