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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000379 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.  12958:  N/A 
TAGS: MASS MARR PREL LE GR UP IS AJ TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: POL-MIL ROUND-UP, January 2007 
 
 
(Note: This is one of a regular series of unclassified reports on 
significant Turkish defense and national security issues in the 
press and other open sources.  End note.) 
 
Contents 
-------- 
 
-- Turkish Parliament Ratifies EXBS Agreement 
-- Budget Share for Defense Reduced by 6.4% 
-- Plane Carrying Turkish Workers Crashed in Iraq 
-- Turkey's Security Relations with Other Countries 
-- Defense Industry Activity 
 
 
Turkish Parliament Ratifies EXBS Agreement 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶1. The Turkish Parliament ratified on January 24 the Bilateral 
Agreement on Cooperation to Facilitate the Provision of Assistance 
for Nonproliferation Purposes (EXBS), which was originally signed on 
June 14, 2005.  The agreement, which was ratified despite the 
objection of the CHP (Republican Peoples' Party) opposition party, 
foresees supporting Turkey's efforts to enhance its national export 
control system, law enforcement, and border security to prevent, 
deter, detect and interdict illicit trafficking of WMD, missile 
delivery systems and related dual-use commodities and technology. 
 
Budget Share for Defense Reduced to 6.4% 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. The budget allocated to the Turkish Defense Ministry for the 
needs of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) dropped to 6.4% of the General 
Budget, and 2-2.5% of the Gross National Product.  The defensom 10.5% to 6.4% of the.   Accordxh@ane Carrying Turkish Work-----------------------w, aboard a 
Moldovan-registered aircraft traveling from Adana, Turkey to Balad, 
Iraq were reported killed on January 9 when the aircraft crashed 
while trying to land in foggy conditions outside of Balad.  The 
Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that there were 29 Turkish and 1 
U.S. passengers aboard, in addition to 4 foreign crew members. 
Turkish newspapers speculated that the plane might have been brought 
down.  The sole survivor of the incident, a Turkish national, was 
brought back to Turkey following medical treatment in Iraq. 
 
Turkey's Security Relations with Other Countries 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4. Lebanon: On January 3 PM Tayyip Erdogan visited the Turkish Corps 
of Engineers assigned to UNIFIL in Sur, Lebanon.  He was briefed on 
the troop deployment under the United Nations Interim Force in 
Lebanon (UNIFIL), according to ANA. 
 
¶5. Greece: Turkish media reported that Turkish F-16 jets were 
intercepted five times by Greek military jets on January 8 while 
flying in international airspace over the Aegean Sea.  Responding to 
journalists' questions on the issue a few days after the 
'harassment' incident, Turkish Chief of General Staff (CHOD) Gen 
Yasar Buyukanit said that, despite this, the two militaries maintain 
good relations. (Turkish Daily News) 
 
¶6. Ukraine: CHOD Buyukanit met his Ukrainian counterpart Gen Serguy 
Kiricenko in Ankara on January 15.  No information on the subject of 
their meeting was made public.  Turkish and Ukrainian Naval Forces 
signed on January 17 a protocol to exchange information and 
cooperation within the scope of Operation Black Sea Harmony. 
(Turkish Daily News) 
 
¶7. Israel: Israeli Police Chief Moshe Karadi met his Turkish 
counterpart on January 18 in Ankara. No information about the 
subject of their meeting was made public. (ANA) 
 
ANKARA 00000379  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8. Azerbaijan: Turkish media reported that the Azerbaijani 
government was planning to assign a Turkish general officer as its 
Deputy Defense Minister.  The Turkish general is expected to resume 
the post in mid-2007 and to hold the duty until 2011.  Several 
dailies wrote that the assignment was similar to the assignment of a 
retired American colonel as CHOD in Lithuania in 2002. (Note: The 
Turkish MFA claimed no knowledge of any such arrangement and 
suggested that perhaps a general officer will be assigned to advise 
the Azerbaijani defense ministry on a temporary basis. End 
note.)(moderate pro-Islamic Zaman and moderate pro-Islamic Cihan 
News Agency) 
 
Defense Industry Activity 
------------------------- 
 
¶9. The Defense Industry Undersecretariat (SSM) announced an RFP 
(Request for Proposal) for the acquisition of 80 Medium Range 
Anti-Tank Weapon Systems (MRAWSs), 10 missiles per unit (total 800 
missiles), tripods, related containers and accessories.  The 
deadline for the RFP is April 30. 
 
¶10. SSM issued a tender for new submarines on January 31.  26 
Turkish and foreign companies joined the tender: Amaris from France, 
Tubitak-MAM, Aydin Yazilim, Elektronik Sanayi A.S. from Turkey, 
Konsberg Defence-Aerospace-Naval Systems from Norway, Kollmorgen 
Corporation-Electro Optical Division from the US, Calzoni Sr. 1- 
Submarine Systems Department from Italy, BMT Defence Services 
Limited from Britain, Howaldstwerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH from 
Germany, Navania from Spain, Aselsan and Roketsan from Turkey, and 
Tr-Elbit System from Israel. 
 
¶11. TAI-TUSAS signed a contract with Jordanian Air Forces for the 
modernization of Jordanian F-16 jets.  The first F-16 jet will be 
modernized in October 2007.  12 planes will be renovated in TAI 
facilities and five others will be modernized in Jordan under the 
supervision of TAI engineers.  The Modernization of 17 F-16 jets 
will be completed in 41 months. 
 
¶12. Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul signed on January 25 a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Turkey's participation in the 
production the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) aircraft.  DM Gonul's 
signature on the MOU in Washington covered a potential initial 
purchase of 100 F-35s. 
 
¶13. SSM signed on January 31 a project to develop a radar and 
communications jamming and deception simulator with Turkish Vestel 
Defense Industries Corp.  The project, worth 25 million euro, is to 
be completed in four years. 
 
 
 
 
WILSON