Cablegate: Exbs: Turkey Advisors Monthly Report- (November

VZCZCXRO5121
RR RUEHDBU RUEHSL
DE RUEHAK #1711/01 3361134
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021134Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1353
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
RUEATRS/TREASURY DEPT WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001711

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR ISN/ECC- JFRIEDMAN, ACHURCH, EMCPHERSON
DEPT FOR EUR/SE, DMARSH, IGOODMAN
DOE/NNSA- TPERRY, LPARKER, RTALLEY, EDESCHLER
CBP/INA- TBAILEY, BSUBER
DOC FOR DCREED

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TU
SUBJECT: EXBS: TURKEY ADVISORS MONTHLY REPORT- (NOVEMBER
2009)

1. Summary: The EXBS Team escorted 21 Turkish Customs
officers, 1 Turkish National Police officer and 1
representative from the Under Secretariat for Foreign Trade
(UFT) to the Department of Energy's Radiation Academy, at the
HAMMER facility in Richland, Washington from November
2-7.Eighteen of the Customs officers continued on to McAllen
Texas with the EXBS Team to attend the Customs and Border
Protection International Border Interdiction Training
November 8-13. The EXBS Coordinator attended LES Training in
Frankfurt, Germany during the week of November 16.The EXBS
Advisor initiated talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
on behalf of DOE's Second Line of Defense to request
authority to upgrade the handheld IdentiFinder NGH
Spectrometers granted to the Turkish National Police in 2008.
END OF SUMMARY.

2. Completed Actions for the Reporting Period:

A. Meetings during the Reporting Period by EXBS Advisory
Team:

1. (U) The EXBS Advisor met with Serhan Yigit, the Head of
the Arms Control and Disarmament Department, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to discuss the upgrade of the Turkish
National Police's hand held Identifinder Isotope Identifiers,
and the decision on the request to visit the eastern Turkey
border gates at Gurbulak (on the border with Iran) and Hopa
(on the border with Georgia). The DOE's Second Line of
Defense has proposed a one-for-one exchange of the old device
for the newer, improved model. The Turkish National Police
received 8 of the older units in 2008. Yigit said he will
discuss with relevant offices about the DOE proposal and also
advised that the visit to the eastern border customs gates
could not be approved for the November time frame requested
and suggested we revisit the request in the Spring.

B. Training Conducted During the Period:

1) (U) Twenty-three Turkish government officials attended the
Department of Energy's, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory's Radiation Academy at the HAMMER facility in
Richland, Washington, November 2-7. The training included
classroom instruction on nuclear, biological and chemical
weapons of mass destruction, and instruction on the use of
fixed and hand held detection devices for identifying and
interdicting WMD's, radioactive materials, and dual use
commodities used in the production of radioactive materials,
nuclear reactors and weapons. The participants had multiple
opportunities to use the tools and equipment while working
through case studies and border detection and interdiction
scenarios.

2) (U) Eighteen Turkish Customs officers attended the Customs
and Border Protection's International Border Interdiction
Training (IBIT) in McAllen, Texas. The training included
classroom presentations concerning the methods employed by
CBP in conducting examinations at the land border, visits to
the border crossing at Hidalgo and Pharr, Texas, and a
day-long overview of the U.S. Border Patrol's enforcement
operations including demonstrations of the equipment and
assets employed in enforcing the border between the ports of
entry.In addition to an entire day devoted to CBP's efforts
in counter terrorism and the prevention of WMD from entering
the United States, the students participated in two days of
hands-on observations at the commercial processing port at
Pharr, Texas and passenger and personal vehicle processing at
the Port of Hidalgo, Texas. The Turkish Customs officers were
able to work with the CBP officers using the various tools
and inspection techniques that had been discussed in the
classroom, while they performed their inspections of arriving
traffic.Class critiques were positive, and the comments made
to the EXBS Team during the week indicated the Turkish
Customs officers had gained knowledge from the experience
they would employ when they returned to their respective
border gates.

ANKARA 00001711 002 OF 002

C. (U) Equipment Delivered During this Period: None

D. (U) Imminent Training or Equipment Status: The EXBS team
is working with the MFA to obtain authority for the
Department of Energy's, Second Line of Defense to upgrade the
IdentiFinder NGH Handheld Digital Spectrometer devices that
they had provided to Turkish National Police (TNP) in 2008.
Their intent is to ship new models with the upgrades, and
then trade them with the GOT for the older models. Because
the devices are equipped with a radiation source for
calibration, the equipment trade must be authorized by the
Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK).

E. (U) Significant Developments in Export Controls,
Nonproliferation, or Related Border Security: None

3. (U) Future Activities: The EXBS Advisor will travel to
Oman the week of December 3-11 to assist the Regional EXBS
Office in Muscat and the Royal Omani Police (Customs) in
developing a Risk Management Targeting training program for
use in the their Customs Academy.

4. Red Flag Issues: None

5. (U) Contact information for EXBS Program Ankara is: Robert
Hessler, EXBS Advisor, Email: hesslerre@state.gov, Office
(90) 312 457-7210, Cell: (90) 533-716-4805; Erhan Mert, EXBS
Coordinator, Email: MertE2@state.gov, Office (90) 312
457-7059, cell (90) 533-264-8507. EXBS Program Office FAX
(90) 312 468-4775.

JEFFREY

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