VZCZCXRO2698
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAK #0227 0390502
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080502Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 1128
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5164
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 2679
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3854
RHMFISS/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFISS/425ABG IZMIR TU//CC//
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA/DSCA//
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/MNF IRAQ C2 OPS

UNCLAS ANKARA 000227 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ENRG IZ PREL TU
SUBJECT: ELECTRICITY TO NORTHERN IRAQ: IMPORT PERMIT 
APPROVED, BUT TECHNICAL DELAYS KEEP POWER OFF 
 
REF: ANKARA 172 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) The Kartet electricity plant in Turkey that 
supplies electricity to northern Iraq ran out of fuel and 
shut down on January 2.  The plant is fueled by Iraqi heavy 
fuel oil.  As reported reftel, the final hurdle to getting 
fuel deliveries resumed and the plant restarted was issuance 
of an oil import permit by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign 
Trade, which wanted Kartet to first amend its contract with 
Iraqi oil company SOMO.  That amendment was delivered to 
Foreign Trade on February 5.  We expected the permit would be 
issued on February 6 and fuel trucks would begin delivery to 
Kartet's plant the same day.  However, despite Foreign 
Trade's approval of the import permit, computer problems have 
so far prevented Customs officials at the border from being 
able to call up the approved permit online.  We expect this 
delay to be resolved in the next 24-48 hours. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Kartet received the contract amendment from SOMO on 
February 4, and signed and delivered it to the MFA the same 
day.  The document was delivered to Foreign Trade on February 
5, with MFA's recommendation that Foreign Trade immediately 
issue the fuel oil import permit to Kartet.  Foreign Trade 
officials met on February 6 and agreed to issue the import 
permit. The process of issuing the permit requires the 
Foreign Trade Exports Department to open documents in its 
computer system, approve them, and then forward the approved 
documents to Customs.  Customs officials at Habur Gate border 
station can call up the documents online, see that they are 
approved, and clear the fuel trucks to cross the border. At 
least, that is how the system is supposed to work. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) However, despite repeated efforts over the past 24 
hours, Customs officials at Habur Gate are still unable to 
call up any of the approved Foreign Trade documents online. 
Kartet officials tell us that they have personnel working 
directly with Customs and Foreign Trade, can see that 
officials in Ankara are authorizing documents online, but 
also can see that Customs officials at Habur cannot see these 
authorizations and will not let the trucks enter without them. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Kartet officials say they are optimistic that these 
bureaucratic delays will be resolved in the next two days. 
Foreign Trade called in their software vendor yesterday, but 
they have so far been unable to resolve the problem.  In 
frustration, the Foreign Trade Agreements Division Director 
delivered a letter to Customs in Ankara at 1400 on February 
7, saying that the Karetet import permit is approved and 
asking Customs to allow the fuel trucks to enter Turkey. 
Howewer, as of 1700, Customs in Habur still had not received 
a copy of the letter. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey 
 
WILSON