US embassy cable - 04ANKARA4435

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004435 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2014 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: TURKISH USG CONTRACTOR WITHDRAWING EMPLOYEES FROM 
IRAQ 
 
REF: ANKARA 4340 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert S. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) In an Aug. 5 meeting on another topic (septel), MFA 
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Alev Kilic handed 
the Charge a list of 31 Turkish employees of Tepe 
Construction Company and its subsidiary, Bilintur, who are 
working under contract at a U.S. Marine base near Fallujah. 
Kilic said that the company had requested the Marines to 
assist in the withdrawal of these employees from Iraq to 
Turkey.  (Note: Bilintur was the employer of Murat Yuce, who 
was murdered by terrorists in Iraq on Aug. 2.  His murder was 
shown on the Internet, and, along with the recent murder and 
kidnapping of Turkish truckers in Iraq, prompted Turkey's 
largest trucking company association, the International 
Transporters Association, to call for a ban on Turkish 
trucking to Iraq in support of the coalition (reftel).) 
 
2. (C) We followed up Aug. 6 with MFA Iraq Department Chief 
Mehmet Kemal Bozay.  Bozay reported that the company has 
directly discussed the withdrawal with the U.S. Marines at 
Fallujah and requested assistance.  He believes the process 
is in train, and maintained that the company and the GOT 
wanted it to be "low-key and discrete."  Bozay noted that the 
company had requested that the "proper U.S. authorities" be 
informed. 
 
3. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
DEUTSCH