VZCZCXRO0954
OO RUEHAT
DE RUEHTC #0156/01 0641629
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 051629Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2622
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA IMMEDIATE 0718
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL IMMEDIATE 0214
RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 4174

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000156 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR CA/OCS, DS/IP/EUR, EUR/WE, DSCC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CASC EAIR NL
SUBJECT: Follow up on Turkish Airlines Plane Crash 
 
Ref: Ref: (A) AMSTERDAM 00027, (B) AMSTERDAM 00026, 
(C) THE HAGUE 00148, (D) THE HAGUE 00145, 
(E) THE HAGUE 00140, (F) THE HAGUE 00136 
 
¶1. (U) Post is not submitting regular sitreps on the situation 
surrounding the February 25 crash of Turkish Airlines Flight No. 
1951, reporting instead on developments as needed. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary: A memorial service, to be attended by the Charge 
and Consul General, will be held March 7 at Schiphol Airport. 
Contact with American citizens involved in the accident continues. 
Turkish Airlines issued a press release providing information on 
compensation to crash victims and their families.  End Summary. 
 
---------------------- 
PASSENGER COMPENSATION 
---------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Turkish Airlines issued a March 3 press release from 
Istanbul offering to make the following advance payments, without 
prejudice: 
 
- an initial non-refundable payment of 5,000 euros to any surviving 
passenger for immediate economic needs; 
- a payment of 10,000 euros for passengers hospitalized in excess of 
three days; and 
- a payment of 50,000 euros per passenger to deceased passengers' 
family members who are entitled to claim compensation. 
 
The airline refers all questions to its attorneys: Kunt & Ort 
(Istanbul - for passengers residing in Turkey) and Allen & Overy 
(Amsterdam - for all passengers residing outside of Turkey).  The 
Consulate General staff has conveyed this information to the victims 
and their families. 
 
----------------- 
MEMORIAL SERVICES 
----------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Dutch government will hold a memorial service for the 
crash victims on March 7 at Schiphol Airport.  The next of kin of 
the four AmCit crash fatalities were supportive of having a memorial 
service, as were Mr. Ledford, the family of Mr. Hemmer, and the 
AmCit mother of a crash victim (Mrs. Fatma Nur Cicekdag).  Post has 
not been in touch with Mr. Dagesan, who is currently in Turkey.  The 
Mission will be represented by the Charge d'affaires and the Consul 
General.  Charge has been asked to provide brief remarks.  The 
Consulate General staff solicited suggestions from the families of 
the AmCit victims and passed them on to the Dutch authorities.  It 
is unlikely AmCits besides Mr. Ledford will attend.  The Turkish 
Embassy had sent a letter to local Dutch authorities suggesting it 
might be too soon for Turkish victims of the crash to return to the 
Netherlands for such a memorial service and informed the Dutch 
Turkish Airlines had held a service in Istanbul on February 28.  We 
do not yet know what the level of Turkish representation will be at 
the service. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Consulate officials also coordinated efforts involving the 
MFA and Dutch Embassy in Washington for officials to attend services 
in the United States for victims.  The Dutch honorary consul in 
Seattle, Mr. Hageman, attended a March 4 private church service in 
Kent, Washington, in honor of Mr. Salman.  Mr. Visser, the honorary 
consul in Houston, is expected to attend the March 5 remembrance 
ceremony in honor of Mr. Crognale organized by Shell. 
 
------------------------------- 
ASSISTANCE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Michael Hemmer continues to improve at the Free University 
Medical Center in Amsterdam (VUMC).  Larry Hemmer, Mr. Hemmer's 
brother, informed Conoff that VUMC doctors removed Mr. Hemmer from 
machine-assisted respiration on March 3, 2008 after they determined 
that he had recovered sufficiently to breathe on his own.  Larry, a 
Qthat he had recovered sufficiently to breathe on his own.  Larry, a 
physician with over 25 years of experience, added that Mr. Hemmer 
had "broken every long bone in his body" but nonetheless was healing 
quickly.  Larry said that VUMC doctors are monitoring Mr. Hemmer's 
left ankle, which is infected.  VUMC doctors are apparently 
reluctant to reset the broken bones in Mr. Hemmer's ankle until the 
swelling subsides, which Larry speculated may take several days. 
 
¶7.  Conoff passed information to Shirley Hemmer, Mr. Hemmer's wife, 
regarding the March 7 memorial ceremony.  Neither Mrs. Hemmer nor 
Larry Hemmer plans to attend.  Conoff also provided Turkish 
Airlines' press release regarding advance compensation to 
hospitalized victims of the crash, as well as a list of attorneys in 
The Netherlands. 
 
 
THE HAGUE 00000156  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶8.  Conoff passed information to Ronald Ledford regarding Turkish 
Airlines' advance compensation to survivors of the crash and a list 
of attorneys in The Netherlands.  Conoff separately informed Mr. 
Ledford about the March 7 memorial ceremony, which Mr. Ledford plans 
to attend. 
 
GALLAGHER