VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAK #0099/01 0211557
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211557Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8532
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
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 000099 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC- YWONG, ACHURCH, BGOLDEN, JBALDWIN 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE- KFITZPATRICK, BBRINK, DMARSH 
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- (DECEMBER 
2008) 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please handle appropriately. 
 
¶1. Summary:  The new EXBS Program Manager from ISN/ECC for 
Turkey met with post and Turkish officials to review the 
state of the program.  EXBS  Advisor met with various Turkish 
officials to discuss future EXBS and SLD engagement following 
September EXBS Nonproliferation Seminar. 
 
¶2. Completed Actions for the Reporting Period: 
 
¶A. Meetings During Recent Reporting Period by EXBS Advisor 
and Coordinator: 
 
1) Dec 2 - MFA Nonproliferation and Disarmament Department 
Head Elif Ulgen.  Advisor met with Ulgen to discuss results 
of EXBS Seminar and the upcoming border visit to the southern 
border with Syria and the Port of Mersin.  Ulgen noted that 
the interagency provided MFA with a list of future activities 
which Turkey desires, to include possible cooperation on 
Portal Monitor development with DOE/SLD and TAEK, but noted 
that there were conflicting requirements on suggested EXBS 
activities within several agencies and it would require 
addition interagency meetings.  Ulgen noted that MFA would 
provide Advisor with a complete list of desired 
nonproliferation activities in early January 2009.  On 
visiting the southern borders, Ulgen noted that MFA would 
like to postpone this border visit until early February to 
ensure that members of the interagency and MFA could 
accompany advisor and PMA counselor on this visit (Comment: 
the MFA has since confirmed that the visit will take place 
February 5-6). 
 
2) Dec 14 - ISN/ECC Turkish Program Managers Brett Golden 
(outgoing) and Joe Baldwin (incoming) visited Ankara for 
annual EXBS Program review. 
 
3) Dec 15 - MFA Nonproliferation and Disarmament Department 
Head Elif Ulgen.  Advisor and Program Managers met with Ulgen 
to introduce Baldwin as new ISN/ECC program manager for 
Turkey and to discuss results of EXBS Seminar.  Ulgen told us 
that the interagency was scheduled to meet Dec 18th to 
de-conflict various agency recommendations for 
nonproliferation activities and that she was not able to 
discuss GOT desires until after that meeting.  During this 
meeting, Baldwin noted ISN/ECC's desire to co-host the next 
Export Control Conference in Istanbul during late spring or 
early summer of 2009.  Ulgen noted that Turkey is very 
interested in co-hosting this conference and agreed to 
discuss this at the Dec 18 interagency meeting. 
 
4) Dec 15 -  Turkish National Police (TNP) International 
Relations Department Head Recep Gultekin.  Advisor and 
Program Managers discussed the EXBS program capacities and 
provided Gultekin with an overview of the pending WMD 
Undercover/Controled Delivery Course that was scheduled to be 
conducted by DHS/ICE officers in Ankara, spring of 2009. 
Gultekin concurred with having anti-smuggling officers from 
Customs Enforcement, TNP, and possibly Jardarma participate 
in the program.  Gultekin agreed this training would be 
beneficial on an interagency basis and would provide a 
valuable venue for coordination of Turkeys various 
ant-smuggling units.  We briefed Gultekin on the broad range 
of EXBS capacities and Gultekin was eager to see increased 
cooperation between GOT and U.S. law enforcement agencies 
under the EXBS program. 
 
5) Dec 16 - Deputy Director General (DDG) Turkish Customs, 
Mehmet Guzel. Advisor and Program Managers met with Guzel to 
discuss the recent VIP visit to the US by Customs Enforcement 
DG Akkoc and discuss next steps for Customs Enforcement 
cooperation.  Guzel noted the visit was a success for Customs 
and provided DG Akkoc with a sound basis for future Custom 
Enforcement restructuring.  Guzel noted that they were eager 
to get a sample of DHS/CBP and Border Patrol uniforms so that 
they could review the design at their upcoming uniform review 
boards.  Advisor provided Guzel with additional information 
about the upcoming IBIT II and IRIT II and recommended that 
these courses be held at Kapakule Border crossing, which is 
 
the largest vehicle and rail crossing into Turkey. 
Action Request:  Request status of DHS/CBP uniform request in 
last month's report.  Customs is eager to review this uniform 
as a possible example for future Turkish Custom uniforms. 
 
6) Dec 16 - Undersecretariat of Customs, Director General 
for EU and External Relations, Riza Mehmet Korkmaz.  Team 
discussed recent visit of Customs Enforcement DG Neset Akkoc 
and his staff to US.  Korkmaz noted the team was very 
impressed with their visit and that it provided Customs with 
valuable exposure of U.S. Customs training and enforcement 
procedures.  He noted that he would like to have the 
Undersecretariate for Customs visit the US in future to 
increase Turkish/US cooperation and exchanges. 
 
7) Dec 17 - EU Commission for Accession, Senior Manager for 
Border Integration, Ms. Burce Ari.  Team discussed recent EU 
funded project to assist Turkey in developing a new Border 
Management Strategy (BMS) as part of the EU Customs 
harmonization process.  The BMS was first published in 2004, 
but has not seen much movement since the authorization of 
this plan by Prime Ministry Decree.  Ari noted that the 
Ministry of Interior has recently appointed two commissioner 
level officials to head up the new Border Management office 
and that she would be meeting with them on December 18.  She 
noted that the EU commission had limited funds to support 
this project and that Turkey would need to fund the bulk of 
this project as envisioned by the master BMS plan.  To date, 
Turkey has not earmarked funding for this project.  Under the 
project, the Ministry of Interior would have a Border 
Management Department that would consolidate border 
management responsibilities currently divided among 
Jarndarma, TNP, Customs and Turkish Military.  Advisor plans 
to meet with the Ministry of Interior in January to determine 
when and if this project will move forward. 
 
¶B. (U) Training Conducted During this Reporting Period: - Two 
Turkish Atomic Enegy Authority (TAEK), two Turkish Customs 
and two Turkish National Police Officials attended the 
Nuclear Forensics Workshop held in Karlasruhe, Germany 2-4 
December, 2008.  This workshop was funded and coordinated by 
ISN/WMDT. 
 
¶C. (U) Equipment Delivered During this Reporting Period: 
None this period. 
 
¶D. (U) Imminent Training or Equipment Status Update:  None 
this period. 
 
¶E. (U) Significant Developments in Export Controls, 
Nonproliferation, or Related Border Security: None this 
period. 
 
¶3. (U) Future Activities: MFA to provide detailed Turkish 
Inter-agency report on their recommendation for future 
nonproliferation engagement from the September EXBS 
Nonproliferation Seminar.  EXBS team will visit the border 
crossing with Syria February 5-6. 
 
¶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 
 
Jeffrey