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Viewing cable 06ANKARA250, Turkish Police Create Anti-Terror Finance Unit

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06ANKARA250 2006-01-23 13:56 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Ankara
VZCZCXRO8897
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0250 0231356
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231356Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2680
INFO RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 9639
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0305
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
UNCLAS ANKARA 000250 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
TREAS for OFAC (RWERNER), FINCEN (MMELANCON), EOTFFC 
(POBRIEN) and (RLEBENSON, JSERAFINI), OIA (JGARDNER) and/or 
(MLEAVITT) 
JUSTICE FOR OPDAT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN PTER KTFN TU
SUBJECT: Turkish Police Create Anti-Terror Finance Unit 
 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The Turkish National Police (TNP) 
Intelligence Department recently established a terrorism 
finance division, to be housed under the Intelligence 
Department's organized crime group.  Recep Guven, TNP 
Intelligence Department Chief of Section in the Organized 
Crime Division and a former International Visitor Program 
(IVP) participant, will lead the new division, which will 
take the lead in coordinating TNP's terrorism finance 
fieldwork and cooperation with other agencies.  Guven's 
participation in U.S.-sponsored programs with officials of 
MASAK, Turkey's anti-financial crime agency, has already led 
to increased collaboration between these two organizations, 
whose lack of cooperation had previously handicapped 
Turkey's fight against terror finance. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
TNP ESTABLISHES TERRORISM FINANCING DIVISION 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) Guven told us the new division would be 
responsible for coordinating the TNP's overall approach to 
terrorism finance.  TNP is still working on finalizing the 
legal structure of the new division, but Guven confirmed 
that it will fall under the organized crime group and will 
carry out terrorism finance field work.  It will also be 
responsible for coordinating with other anti-financial crime 
organizations. 
 
3. (SBU) Guven participated in the International Visitor 
Program (IVP) in June 2004, visiting Washington and New York 
as part of a sub-regional "Terrorism Financing Issues" 
project.  He told us that the creation of the new division 
was a direct result of his IVP participation - upon his 
return, he reported on the U.S. anti-terrorism finance 
regime and recommended that TNP establish its own terrorism 
finance section.  The TNP heeded his recommendation and made 
him the chief of the new division. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
INCREASED COOPERATION BETWEEN TNP AND MASAK 
------------------------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Guven also told us about increased cooperation 
between TNP and MASAK as a result of his attending a US-OSCE- 
sponsored terrorism financing conference in Vienna in 
November with Genc Osman Yarasli, the head of MASAK.  Though 
Yarasli has denied that there were problems with interagency 
coordination on financial crime issues, Guven confirmed 
other what other contacts have told us: that the 
relationship between the two agencies was characterized by a 
lack of coordination and cooperation.  Guven said that since 
he and Yarasli established a personal relationship at the 
Vienna conference, there has been increased information 
sharing.  Guven told us that MASAK and TNP are trying to 
institutionalize this new-found cooperation so it will 
continue after he and Yarasli leave their posts. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
5. (SBU) Guven is proof that USG support is paying dividends 
in strengthening Turkey's anti-terrorism finance regime. 
Guven himself spelled out this benefit and noted that he was 
encouraged by the creation of a counter terrorism finance 
division with the TNP, which was a missing element despite 
the fact that Turkey has been fighting terrorism for many 
years now. 
 
WILSON