Cablegate: Turkey: Ratification of Nato Accession Protocol

VZCZCXRO9399
PP RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHYG
DE RUEHAK #1737 2801430
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061430Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7599
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUFGSHZ/SACEUR MONS BE PRIORITY
RHMCSUU/SACEUR POLAD SHAPE BE PRIORITY

UNCLAS ANKARA 001737

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, EUR/RPM, AND L/T

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM MARR NATO PREL KTIA TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: RATIFICATION OF NATO ACCESSION PROTOCOL
FOR NEW MEMBERS ON TRACK

REF: STATE 106321

1. (U) We delivered reftel demarche requesting an update on
the status of Turkey's efforts to ratify the NATO accession
protocols for Albania and Croatia to MFA NATO Policy
Department Head Gulhane Ulutekin on October 6. She said the
bills to approve the accession protocols have been drafted
and are currently under review at the Prime Ministry.
Ulutekin, who has been tracking the status of the protocols
for the MFA, said she did not expect any problems with the
ratification process.

2. (U) Ulutekin explained that once the Prime Ministry has
approved the text of the draft bills, it will circulate the
bill for signature by the Council of Ministers. With the
Council of Ministers' approval, the bill will be sent to the
speaker of parliament, who will in turn submit the draft to
the parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees for
review. Once the committees approve, the bill will go to the
full parliament for a vote, where a simple majority is needed
to approve the protocols. Ulutekin noted that the Croatian
embassy in Ankara has been actively checking on the status of
the ratification process and has requested an appointment
with the speaker of parliament to brief him on Croatia's
efforts to join NATO. Ulutekin predicted that the bill will
be submitted to the speaker of parliament by the end of the
month and ratified before the end of the year, well in
advance of the April 2009 NATO summit.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey

WILSON

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