US embassy cable - 04ANKARA1061

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001061 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2014 
TAGS: EPET, EWWT, PREL, SENV, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY FLOATS IDEA FOR VOLUNTARY 
REDUCTION OF OIL TRANSPORT THROUGH THE STRAITS 
 
Classified by Econ Counsleor Scot Marciel, for reasons 1.5 
(b) and (d). 
 
 
1.  (C) MFA Director General for Energy Haki Akil told us the 
Foreign Ministry is launching a new initiative to reduce the 
transport of petroleum and refined products through the 
Turkish Straits.  MFA is testing the interest of oil 
companies in an agreement on voluntary principles that would 
commit the oil companies to ship all or part of their oil and 
refined products through pipelines, bypassing the Straits. 
Akil admitted the task would be difficult, because all of the 
oil companies that currently ship through the Straits would 
need to agree in order to avoid the free-rider problem.  He 
said BP, ChevronTexaco and Exxon/Mobil had shown interest in 
the idea, but admitted that selling the idea to the Russian 
oil companies would be more difficult. 
 
 
2.  (C) The Straits agreement outlined by Akil is based on 
the model used by BTC to reach agreement on voluntary 
principles on human rights and security, and like the BTC 
agreement, would also include interested NGOs.  He said that 
the MFA is just beginning to explore the idea and therefore, 
he could not predict many of the details of such an 
agreement.  He added that the MFA would like U.S. support for 
the initiative.  Comment:  Although we have verified that 
some western oil companies are interested in the idea, we 
(and they) are skeptical that Akil will make much headway 
with the Russian companies. 
EDELMAN