VZCZCXYZ0010
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIT #0115 0791315
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201315Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8856
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 8174
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000115 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KOMC TU
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: POST-SHIPMENT END-USE CHECK 
ON LICENSE 050111816 
 
REF: SECSTATE 20184 
 
¶1.        (SBU) SUMMARY: In response to reftel, we met with 
EMPA Electronics Managing Director Mehmet Horsanali and one 
of his consultants, Yurdakul Alpay on March 13, 2009, to 
conduct a post-shipment end use check on License 050111816 
and, specifically, to confirm the bona fides of EMPA and to 
review reftel questions.  Embassy Ankara will report its 
discussions with the Turkish Air Force and Mikes via septel. 
 
 
¶2.         (SBU) EMPA Electronics, a supplier and distributor 
of semiconductors and electrical components, including 
connectors and relays, was founded in 1982 and is a privately 
held company that employs approximately 35 people in its 
Istanbul office. The major shareholders of the company are 
Vural Akman, Kemal Akman and Mehmet Horsanali, who together 
own a controlling interest in the company.  EMPA has overseas 
offices in Hong Kong, Dubai and the United States.  EMPA does 
not serve as a broker; rather, it is an authorized 
distributor and representative, whose suppliers include Texas 
Instruments, XILINX and STMicroelectronics.  EMPA,s customer 
base consists of white goods producers, military contractors, 
research groups and the Government of Turkey:  Mikes, Vestel, 
Arcelik, Aselsan, The Scientific and Technological Research 
Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and the Ministry of Defense (MOD) 
are all clients. With a well-staffed office located in the 
Istanbul World Trade Center, minutes from the airport, the 
company gives every appearance of being an established 
business firm. 
 
¶3.        (SBU) Last year, EMPA purchased 20 military 
electrical connectors (purchase price: $13,450) from Amphenol 
Corporation, a Wallingford, Connecticut based company which 
designs, manufactures and markets electrical, electronic and 
fiber optic connectors and interconnect systems.  These 
connectors will be used in the AN-ALQ-178(v)5 radar and 
jamming system for the F-16 aircraft.  EMPA then sold the 
items to Mikes (Microwave Electronics Systems, Inc.), an 
Ankara based company that specializes in the design, 
development and production of Electronic Warfare Systems 
(EWS), Mikes is a supplier for the Turkish Air Force.  On 
February 7, 2008, Mikes issued a Letter of Intent (LOI) to 
Amphenol Corporation, using EMPA as the intermediary.  The 
Turkish Ministry of Defense (Turkish Air Force) was listed as 
the Foreign End-User.  Horsanali was quite forthcoming, and 
even brought in a staff assistant to show us the LOI, which 
we perused.  We did not specifically request to see an 
invoice. 
 
 
¶4.       (SBU) Comment:  EMPA utilizes two secure duty free 
zones at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul. 
Generally, it maintains its overseas imports at one of these 
two free zones until the local client takes delivery of the 
goods. In response to our queries, Horsanali stated that the 
facilities in the free zones at the airport were secure, and 
that the company had procedures in place to handle sensitive 
United States Munitions List (USML) items.  He stated further 
that his company had been in this line of business for many 
years, and understood the restriction on USML items.  When 
asked, he said that his company was not in a position to 
confirm whether or not Mikes eventually delivered the 
components to the Ministry of Defense. 
 
 
 
 . 
Wiener