VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAK #0646 0801457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211457Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1407
INFO RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0127
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0290

UNCLAS ANKARA 000646 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR FOR A/S FRIED 
NEA FOR A/S WELCH 
EEB FOR A/S SULLIVAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECIN ECON ETRD IS KWBG TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH, ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN BUSINESS LEADERS TO 
MEET IN WASHINGTON 
 
REF: A. JERUSALEM 512 
 
     ¶B. ANKARA 220 
 
¶1. (SBU) In a March 20 meeting with the Ambassador, Rifat 
Hisarciklioglu, the chairman of TOBB, Turkey's leading 
business association, described plans to hold a meeting of 
the Ankara Forum, which includes Hisarciklioglu,s Israeli 
and Palestinian counterparts, on March 26 in Washington, DC. 
The point of the meeting is to raise interest and political 
support in the United States for the Forum,s project to 
develop the Erez Industrial Zone in northern Gaza (see 
reftels).  Hisarciklioglu and his advisor Guven Sak said they 
were making progress in negotiating "trade facilitation" and 
security agreements between the Turkish operating company for 
the zone and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, 
March 26 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in the Rayburn Office building. 
Hisarciklioglu will be joined by the heads of the Israeli 
Manufacturers Association, Shraga Brosh, and the Palestinian 
Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Ahmad 
Zughair. Hisarciklioglu is seeking the participation of 
members of Congress, as well as State Department officials 
including Assistant Secretaries Fried, Welch, and Sullivan. 
Hisarciklioglu, Brosh and Zughair also plan to call on 
Representatives Lantos and Ros-Lehtinen, and have requested 
meetings with Senators Biden and Lugar, as well as World Bank 
President Wolfowitz. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Hisarciklioglu will seek a separate meeting with EEB 
A/S Sullivan to discuss the Erez project and to follow-up on 
the recent Economic Partnership Commission discussion of 
"Joint Production Opportunties."  Hisarciklioglu will also be 
participating in American Turkish Council's annual conference 
and will meet senior U.S. Chamber of Commerce officials while 
in Washington. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON