TURKEY: 2008 END USE MONITORING REPORT

UNCLAS ANKARA 000445 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR AFIN TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: 2008 END USE MONITORING REPORT REF: STATE 27091 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) program in Turkey wound down after 2000 because of the GOT's refusal to accept Leahy Amendment language contained in the Year 2000 Letter of Agreement. We are in the process of negotiating a new Letter of Agreement with the Government of Turkey, although we have not received a formal MFA response. Virtually all of the equipment donated with INL funds in the past has reached the end of its useful life. Most of the equipment was donated before or during FY 2000 and has become obsolete. INL funds at post total $9,921. Equipment has been assigned to numerous locations throughout the country, and with post's limited budget, physical inspection of any but a very small portion is a practical impossibility. Thus, post relies upon periodic meetings with supervisory personnel in recipient agencies to monitor use. End Summary. INL Program Staff at Post and Counterpart Agencies -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) EUM Program Coordinator at post is Courtney Turner. She can be reached by IVG at 8-295-7065, or 90-312-457-7065. Her email address is TurnerCL@state.gov. Local employee Aysem Sargin provides end use monitoring assistance and support to the INCLE program at post. She can be reached by IVG at 8-295-7069, or 90-312-457-7069. Her email address is SarginA@state.gov. DEA officials at post work closely with the INCLE staff, and we design our programs to avoid duplication of effort and to ensure that our work and plans are complementary. Our principal contact in DEA is Deputy Regional Director Tom Senecal. He can be reached by IVG at 8-295-7229, or 90-312-457-7229. His email address is Thomas.J.Senecal@usdoj.gov. Inventory System, On-Site Inspections, and Secondary Methods of Monitoring Resource Status -------------- -- ¶3. (SBU) Due to the age and obsolescence of items donated in the past, limited funding, and the absence of a Letter of Agreement, post program representatives are limited in their ability to do on-site inspections. We were able to visit Bolvadin and Afyon on June 3, AMATEM Headquarters in Istanbul on August 27, Turkish National Police (TNP) Headquarters in Edirne on August 28, and TADOC training facility in Ankara on multiple occasions. The majority of our information on other sites was gathered through discussions with Erol Keskinkilic, Technical Support Branch Director at TNP Ankara. ¶4. (SBU) Five Turkish agencies have responsibility for Turkey's anti-narcotics programs: the Turkish Grain Board (TMO),TNP, Jandarma, Customs, and the AMATEM drug addiction treatment facility. Generally, the equipment provided since 1986 can be assigned to the following categories: training, communication, surveillance, and poppy processing. Status of Inventories and Program Impact -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Starting in 1992 and continuing through 2001, the INCLE program provided the TMO with equipment and training valued at over USD 900,000. Most of this equipment is still being used. No new items were delivered in 2008. As previously reported, the donations to TMO have been remarkably useful. The INL-funded equipment has had a concrete, long-lasting, and positive impact on TMO's operations. For example, poppy production remains under stringent control by the TMO, while productivity increased through the use of donated seed processing equipment. The morphine content of poppies significantly increased thanks to the INL-funded pilot production facility. TMO's products have become more marketable and profitable, and the INL-funded equipment is in working condition and is repaired locally. ¶6. (SBU) Starting in 1986 and continuing through 2004, the INCLE program provided TNP with equipment and training valued at over USD 1.2 million. No new items were delivered in ¶2008. TNP's Erol Keskinkilic reported that the vast majority of the items donated under the INCLE program are outdated and no longer used. He told us that TNP Ankara still uses some of the donated surveillance headphones, siren systems, and hand-held radios in its operations. ¶7. (SBU) The TNP keeps an exhaustive inventory of all the INL-funded equipment. Keskinkilic noted that all the equipment provided since 1986 was useful, but that some items quickly became obsolete with advances in technology. He remarked that the INL-funded surveillance headphones, videoscopes, and cameras continue to be useful in narcotic operations throughout the country. In some cases, TNP has been able to use older equipment with new technologies, as in the case of using an INL-funded SLR camera lens on a new digital camera lens body. ¶8. (SBU) As requested in reftel, the following sets forth the status of resources provided to Turkish agencies that remain in use. According to TNP, all other equipment provided by the USG has outlived its useful life and is no longer in use. a) Vehicles: INCLE provided 20 vehicles to the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) in 1992 and 1993. TMO officials told us in a recent meeting that several of the vehicles were still in use in their monitoring operations in poppy fields in Afyon, Turkey. They noted that the vehicles are aging and in need of continuous maintenance. Ideally, they would like to replace the vehicles. b) Camera lenses: TNP continues to use INCLE camera lenses in the following locations throughout Turkey: Adana, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Malatya, Mugla, and TNP headquarters. c) Communications equipment: Although technology changes have caused some of the equipment to become unusable, TNP continues occasional use of radio sets in the following locations: Antalya, Baliksehir, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kars, Kocaeli, Konya, TNP headquarters, Mersin, Mugla, Sanliurfa, Van, and Yalova. Transmitted packets are used in Ankara, Baliksehir, Diyarbakir, Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, TNP Headquarters, Mersin, and Van. Istanbul still uses two radio chargers. Microphones are used in Diyarbakir, Istanbul, TNP headquarters, and Mugla d) Surveillance equipment: TNP uses surveillance headphones in the following locations: Adana, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Kayseri, Kirikkale, Kirsehir, Konya, TNP headquarters, Mersin, Mugla, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Usak, Van, and Yalova e. Miscellaneous equipment: TNP uses GPS tracking system equipment at the following locations: Diyarbakir, Istanbul, and TNP headquarters. Videoscopes are used in Istanbul and at TNP headquarters. ¶9. (SBU) All agencies expressed appreciation for the items INCLE provided. They remarked that advances in technology pushed them to switch or upgrade equipment, ultimately rendering obsolete many of the previously-supplied INCLE equipment items. COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Based on our meetings and discussions in 2008 with supervisory personnel from the various recipient agencies, it appears that all INL resources are being properly maintained. Overall, the INL-funded equipment and training provided to Turkey has been useful, but advances in technology have rendered many of them no longer useful. With a rejuvenated INCLE program, post plans to use INCLE resources for training and other non-physical goods. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey Jeffrey