US embassy cable - 04ANKARA4126

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004126 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2014 
TAGS: ETRD, IZ, PGOV, PREL, TU 
SUBJECT: BACKLOG AT TURKEY-IRAQ BORDER THREATENS U.S. 
SUPPLIES OPERATIONS TO IRAQ 
 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C)  There has been a recent increase in the backlog of 
trucks seeking to cross the Turkish border from Iraq.  The 
most recent report from the U.S. Army Movement Control Team 
stationed on the Iraqi side of the border showed that the 
backlog had reached over 7,000 trucks. This jump represents 
almost a week's waiting time and is creating problems for 
U.S. military, Humanitarian Assistance Agency and commercial 
shippers in finding trucks to send to Iraq. 
 
2.  (C)  Over the past 30 days, U.S. military sources report 
1534 trucks per day have crossed into Iraq from Turkey; 
however, only 1,349 have crossed back into Turkey, resulting 
in the growing backlog in Iraq.  The decline in the 
northbound through-processing rate appears attributable to a 
combination of factors, including difficult summer work 
conditions (temperatures above 120 F), summer leave for 
Customs employees, difficulty in finding Customs employees to 
assign to work in hardship conditions, and stepped-up 
security measures following the upturn in PKK-linked violence 
in eastern Turkey.  Furthermore, the rate at which trucks are 
arriving at the border seeking to re-enter Turkey from Iraq 
seems to have increased due to a shorter "turn-around time" 
in Iraq as drop-offs are made closer to the border for 
security reasons. 
 
3.  (C)  According to U.S. military sources, another problem 
has developed.  Turkish authorities have recently begun 
implementing a regulation that limits individual fuel tankers 
to 75% of full load.  Enforcement of this regulation -- which 
is designed to protect the roadbed from the heavy weight of 
full tankers -- was re-inistituted following the recent 
expiration of a one-year waiver that had been agreed with 
U.S. military authorities.  (Note: we are still trying to 
determine the origin and status of this rule.) 
 
4.  (C) Econoff raised our concerns with Akif Ayhan, Head of 
Department in the MFA Directorate for Economic Affairs, on 
July 22 and shared the U.S. statistics on truck processing 
through the border.  We emphasized that we needed the GOT to 
take action immediately to increase the northbound processing 
at the border and suggested that more personnel could be 
assigned to handle the backlog and more processing stations 
could be opened to process more trucks simultaneously. 
 
5.  (C) Ayhan asked his counterparts in the Foreign Trade 
Undersecretariat and Customs Undersecretariat to respond to 
our concerns.  On July 23, Ayhan reported back that border 
officials will begin immediately to discourage "fictitious" 
truck traffic -- truckers who enter Iraq solely to buy cheap 
fuel in Iraq (each truck is allowed to return with 800 liters 
in the tank) and sell it on the Turkish Black Market at a 
large profit.  However, MFA reported that Customs officials 
disputed our claim that the volume of northbound processing 
has worsened in recent weeks.  They also claimed that it is 
not possible to increase the number of processing stations at 
the border complex.  Econoff responded that we cannot tell 
Turkey how to improve the numbers, just that something must 
be done soon. 
 
6.  (C) Charge also discussed the problems with MFA Deputy 
U/S Kilic, suggesting that steps be taken to reduce the 
backlog to more normal levels.  Such a step would require, 
again, additional personnel or temporary concentration on 
northbound traffic for those personnel at the gate.  Charge 
also raised the issue of the regulation limiting fuel truck 
loads to 75% of capacity.  Kilic was unaware of this problem 
and promised to look into both issues. 
DEUTSCH