VZCZCXRO3635
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHHM RUEHIK RUEHKW
RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK
RUEHYG
DE RUEHAK #0662 0821138
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231138Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1434
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/EST COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0915
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 1931
RUEHAST/USO ALMATY 2236

UNCLAS ANKARA 000662 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDOE FOR CHARLES WASHINGTON 
USDOC FOR 4212/ITA/MAC/CPD/CRUSNAK 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EPET ENRG AORC TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY SEEKING TO HOST WORLD PETROLEUM 
CONGRESS 2011 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY: The government-supported Turkish 
Organizing Committee seeks U.S. support for its 
candidacy to host the 20th World Petroleum Congress in 
2011 in Istanbul.  Turkey's Organizing Committee will 
meet U.S. World Petroleum Council (WPC) members 
(Chevron, API, Schlumberger) in Houston April 16 to 
make their pitch for the U.S. vote at the annual 
meeting in Uruguay November 29.  The cities of 
Aberdeen, UK and Doha, Qatar are also competing. 
Istanbul's selection would highlight the importance of 
Turkey as an energy bridge between the Caspian and 
Europe (Bosphorus, BTC, "southern gas corridor").  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2.  On behalf of Turkey's candidacy for Istanbul to 
hold the 20th World Petroleum Congress in 2011, Dr. 
Zihni Aksoy, Chair of the Turkish Organizing Committee 
and a representative of the state oil company TPAO, 
called on Embassy on March 21 to describe its efforts 
and to seek U.S. support and its vote at the annual 
meeting of the World Petroleum Council in November in 
Uruguay.  U.S. WPC members include officials from 
Chevron, the American Petroleum Institute, 
Schlumberger, and Halliburton.  Aksoy asserted that 
Istanbul was clearly a more exciting and better 
prepared site than Aberdeen and Qatar.  Moreover, he 
noted that the UK had already hosted the congress twice 
in London, but an OPEC member had never been chosen to 
host.  Turkey was a candidate for the 17th Congress and 
narrowly lost to Brazil that year. 
 
¶3.   Background: The last triennial congress of the 61- 
member World Petroleum Council was held in 2005 in 
Johannesburg and the next one is planned for 2008 in 
Madrid.  The host country for a WPC Congress is chosen 
by secret vote at the annual meeting four years in 
advance.  The WPC and the host determine a specific 
theme based on the issues of the day.  The organization 
works on variety of issues from technical reserve 
definitions to environment and social issues. 
 
¶4.  Comment: Hosting the congress would be an 
opportunity for Turkey to highlight its contribution to 
global and regional energy supply security, including 
as an energy bridge and southern gas corridor from the 
Caspian to Europe.  It appears that the USG may not 
have an official role in the organization, and it is 
not clear how U.S. private sector members determine the 
U.S. vote.  Unlike in Turkey, the USG cannot tell oil 
companies what to do. 
 
MCELDOWNEY