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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