VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAK #1975/01 3191156
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141156Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8000
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGUARD WASHDC
RUEAORC/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUCNEXC/EXPORT CONTROL AND RELATED BORDER SECURITY
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC

UNCLAS ANKARA 001975 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NP/ECC- YWONG, ACHURCH, BGOLDEN 
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE- KFITZPATRICK, BHUNT, PMALIK 
DOE/NNSA- TPERRY, LPARKER, EDESCHLER 
CBP/INA- TBAILEY, BPICKETT 
DOC FOR DCREED 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TU
SUBJECT: EXBS: TURKEY ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (OCTOBER 
2008) 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please handle appropriately. 
 
¶1. Summary:  TDY EXBS Advisor Kevin Cummings and EXBS 
Coordinator met with Turkish Customs Enforcement officials 
during this period and provided a comprehensive briefing on 
U.S. Customs.  Final preparations have been confirmed for the 
November 12-24 visit of Director General of Customs 
Enforcement Akkoc to the US. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Completed Actions for the Reporting Period: 
 
¶A. Meetings During Recent Reporting Period by TDY EXBS 
Advisor and Coordinator: 
 
1) Oct 7 - Met with Mehmet Guzel, Deputy Director General 
(DDG) Turkish Customs to discuss the upcoming VIP visit to 
the US.  The DDG provided the names of the five customs 
officials nominated for the visit.  We discussed the various 
ports to be visited as well as the itinerary and the DC 
agenda.  Guzel also requested a briefing on US Customs from 
TDY EXBS Advisor Cummings when he learned that Cummings was a 
retired US Customs officer with over 30 years of service.  We 
agreed to provide this briefing on Oct 15. 
 
2)  Oct 15 -  Cummings provided a comprehensive briefing on 
U.S. Customs at Turkish Customs Enforcement Headquarters for 
12 Turkish Customs officers/experts including both the 
Director General of Enforcement Neset Akkoc, who will head 
the VIP Customs delegation to the US, and the DDG for 
Enforcement.  The group was very attentive, had a fair grasp 
of US Customs and Border Protection's role, and asked 
numerous questions concerning the CTPAT, CSI and even the 
Secure Freight Initiative program which was not mentioned in 
the briefing documents. Cummings discussed the similarities 
with the EU's Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) and the 
CTPAT program.  DG Akkoc expressed keen interest in how 
interagency information sharing is done at the NTC. 
 
The concept of "need to know" as well as the third party rule 
(that information provided by companies or shippers is not 
disclosed to third parties and does not prejudice the 
competitive positions of persons providing this information) 
and the exemption in the Privacy Act for task forces was 
explained.  Akkoc was very positive and liked the concept of 
the US advance notice requirements. Turkish officials also 
asked about nuclear detection portal monitors.  Cummings 
explained that the US is currently using Neutron-Gamma 
portals.  (Note: Turkey is considering an offer by DOE/SLD to 
provide a significant number of portal monitors.  End note). 
The briefing lasted over two hours.  Afterwards, DG Akkoc 
discussed the upcoming VIP visits to US Customs and three US 
ports of entry.  Akkoc offered Cummings a tour of the Turkish 
Command and Control Center (CCC). 
 
3).  Oct 16 - EXBS Staff toured the Turkish Customs Command 
and Control Center at Customs Enforcement Headquarters and 
received a briefing by a Turkish customs official.  He 
explained the organizational structure and demonstrated the 
cryptographic system, closed circuit TV system, which was 
originally established at five ports and recently expanded to 
nine other ports using EU funds.  Under this system, both 
headquarters and regional offices can watch/oversee 
operations live, including viewing cargo exams conducted in 
the inspection facility through the approximately 15 cameras 
installed at each port.  EXBS staff was given a demonstration 
of the CCTV system and was able to watch part of a cargo 
search taking place live at one of the ports.  The CCC is 
also able to monitor all transit vehicles through a vehicle 
registration system and transponder program.  When a transit 
vehicle enters Turkey the license plate is automatically 
photographed and entered into the data base, manifest 
information and personal data on the driver is also entered, 
as is the prescribed itinerary and the maximum time allowed 
in Turkey.  A transponder is then affixed to the vehicle and 
the system can track the vehicle as it transits and the 
transponder is removed by Customs at the departing port. 
There are mobile enforcement teams that respond to any 
violations that are indicated when monitored on the CCC 
 
screen.  The system also has a color coding ability to 
signify high risk cargo and/or suspect vehicle operators. All 
vehicle registration data is retained in the system. 
 
It appears that there is no pre-arrival time requirement for 
trucks and their cargo.  The only pre-arrival requirement by 
Turkish Customs is a three-hour requirement on vessel cargo. 
Turkish officials indicated that the pre-arrival requirement 
is in the process of being lengthened but did not say when 
the new requirement will enter into effect. 
 
There are presently two separate data systems at the CCC. One 
is in the Custom Directorate that processes Customs 
activities unrelated to enforcement.  It is an import and 
export transaction based system that includes a form of risk 
targeting.  The other data base, maintained in the Customs 
Enforcement Directorate, contains all case data and violator 
or suspect data from 1994 to present including intelligence 
from the Anti-Smuggling teams.  In addition, Customs 
Enforcement enters data received from Gendarmerie, National 
Police and Coast Guard.  Other data is added from the Balkan 
Information System, the Vehicle Pursuit Program and the 
Vessel Pursuit Program. Customs Enforcement presently has 24 
mutual assistance agreements including with the US.  Turkish 
Customs is in the process of trying to merge the two data 
systems in order to build a national targeting system. 
 
Turkish officials discussed the EU procurement process. 
Turkey has encountered problems purchasing high tech 
equipment from the EU.  Under EU rules, once the 
specifications are met, the lowest price wins the contract. 
This can result in inferior equipment because there is no 
consideration of past performance or quality.  Cummings noted 
examples that he experienced in other countries where the 
equipment was inferior because quality and past performance 
was not considered when evaluating bids.  The experts from 
Turkish Customs agreed and indicated that this did pose 
problems for Turkey.  Cummings noted that EXBS and US 
programs are more flexible and do take into consideration 
quality and past performance as well as price.  Cummings 
suggested that Turkey consider contacting EXBS if they had 
some special equipment requests. 
 
4).  Oct 17 -  TDY EXBS Advisor Kevin Cummings departed Post. 
 
5).  Nov 1 -  EXBS Advisor Robert Cieslinski returned from 
home leave and resumed normal duties. 
 
¶B. (U) Training Conducted During this Reporting Period: - TDY 
Advisor briefed Customs Enforcement (as noted in Paragraph 2 
Above). No other training provided this period. 
 
¶C. (U) Equipment Delivered During this Reporting Period: 
None. 
 
¶D. (U) Imminent Training or Equipment Status Update:  Plans 
for a Senior Turkish Customs VIP visit to US DHS/CBP and 
related training and border units has been finalized with 
DHS/CBP.  The delegation, headed by Director General of 
Customs Enforcement, Nesel Akkoc, will depart Ankara on 
November 12.  The delegation will be in Washington for two 
days and will meet with CBP and DOE Officials.  This 
delegation will also visit CBP facilities in Reston VA, 
Harpers Ferry WV, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center 
in Brunswick GA, the Ports of Charleston and San Diego, and 
Airport Port of Entry at JFK during this visit.  The 
delegation is scheduled to return to Ankara on November 24th. 
 
¶E. (U) Significant Developments in Export Controls, 
Nonproliferation, or Related Border Security: Turkey's 
revised Export Control draft legislation discussed in 
previous reports is currently with Parliament and is expected 
to be passed into law sometime in early 2009. 
 
¶3. (U) Future Activities: None at this time.  MFA told us the 
next Export Control Inter-Agency meeting, which is scheduled 
for Nov 21, will discuss and coordinate Turkish requests in 
response to the proposals for cooperation offered during the 
 
September 17-18 EXBS and Nonproliferation Seminar. 
 
¶4. (U) Red Flag Issues:  None. 
 
¶5. (U) Contact information for EXBS Program Ankara is: 
Robert Cieslinski, EXBS Advisor, Email: 
CieslinskiRL@state.gov, Office (90) (312) 457-7210, Cell (90) 
(533) 716-4808 and Erhan Mert, EXBS Coordinator, Email: 
MertE2@state.gov, Office(90)312 457-7059, Cell (90) (533) 
264-8407. EXBS Program Office Fax (90) (312) 468-4775. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey 
 
WILSON