US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5301

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005301 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB/TRA/OTP AND EUR/SE 
PARIS FOR TSA 
BRUSSELS FOR FAA 
DHS FOR TSA 
DEPT PASS TRANSPORTATION DEPT 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, PTER, TU, CY 
SUBJECT:  CIVAIR OFFICIALS ON SAFETY, SECURITY ISSUES 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please Handle Accordingly. 
 
Ref:  (A) Ankara 3970 (B) State 181043 (C) Ankara 3676 
(D) Ankara 3736 
 
1. (U) This cable contains action requests in paras 12 
and 13. 
 
2. (SBU) Summary:  Turkish Civil Aviation officials 
told us that stringent security measures required by 
DHS/TSA continue to impose a burden on passengers and 
security staff.  Screening with explosive trace 
detection (ETD) equipment lent by TSA has been very 
time-consuming.  The officials asked whether and when 
DHS/TSA would modify these measures, whether additional 
EDT equipment training could be provided, and whether 
the 90-day loan of ETD equipment could be extended.  We 
also discussed safety oversight, border control for 
transit passengers, North Cyprus flights and upcoming 
multilateral meetings.  End Summary. 
 
3. (U) Econoff and Econ Specialist discussed civil 
aviation security, safety oversight, border control for 
transit passengers, establishing air links between the 
U.S. and Northern Cyprus and other issues with Topa 
Toker, Director General, and other Directorate General 
for Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials on September 14. 
 
TSA's Security Amendment 
 
SIPDIS 
------------------------ 
 
4. (SBU) Toker and Erdal Ugur, branch director of 
DGCA's Security Department, stated that compliance with 
DHS' June Emergency Amendment/Security Directive 
(EA/SD) continued to impose a heavy burden on staff and 
passengers (reftels), and that Istanbul Ataturk Airport 
was losing some transit passengers to other hubs.  Ugur 
reported that use of TSA-provided electronic trace 
detection (ETD) equipment, including the requirement to 
open bags and conduct an item-by-item screening, is 
much more time-consuming than a simple physical search 
of baggage.  He said that up to four ETDs ordered by 
DHMI could be deployed to Istanbul.  DCGA officials 
made several requests pertaining to TSA: 1) extending 
the period of the equipment loan, set to expire in 
early October; 2) additional TSA training in the use of 
the equipment; 3) reduction in the 100 percent 
passenger and screening requirements in the EA/SD, and 
a change in the requirement that each item in baggage 
be screened by ETD. 
 
5. (SBU) Note:  The Turkish National Police, rather 
than DGCA, has been our primary interlocutor on the 
EA/SD.  Toker seemed ill-informed on the EA/SD 
requirements and the deployment and use of ETD 
equipment.  End Note. 
 
6. (U) Toker told us that the National Civil Aviation 
Security Council decided that Gozen, the private 
security contractor at Istanbul Airport, could continue 
to operate on the basis of its existing license. 
Note:  In conjunction with the implementation of the 
DHS EA/SD, we had been told earlier that Gozen might 
have to apply for a new license, possibly disrupting 
the passenger and baggage screening process (Ref A). 
End Note. 
 
Safety Oversight 
---------------- 
 
7. (SBU) In the aftermath of several lethal Turkish 
rail accidents in July and August, the Turkish press 
ran a series of articles questioning the GOT's 
oversight of transportation safety generally, including 
in civil aviation.  Noting this press coverage, Econoff 
asked Toker about long-delayed legislation aimed at 
strengthening DGCA's ability to oversee civil aviation 
by providing the organization with more autonomy and 
more resources to retain experienced staff.  Toker said 
that DGCA and the Transport Ministry have submitted 
draft legislation on this to the Prime Ministry, and 
the Minister hopes to see it enacted into law by the 
end of 2004.  The legislation calls for DGCA to use 
contract personnel in many of its functions and would 
provide better salaries.  However, Toker implied that 
the law would not go far enough in improving 
remuneration and that DGCA's autonomy would be limited. 
No Progress on Transit Passengers 
--------------------------------- 
 
8. (SBU) Econoff raised the continuing gap in border 
controls created by Turkey's failure to require 
international passengers to clear passport control at 
the initial port of entry (usually Istanbul Ataturk 
Airport).  Erdal Ugur, head of DGCA's Security 
Department, responded that the GOT had decided to 
implement such a system, but that new infrastructure 
was required and would not likely be in place until 
sometime in 2005.  The State Airports Authority (DHMI) 
and International Terminal Management (Turkish acronym 
TAV, the private company operating the airport) are 
responsible for implementation. 
 
Northern Cyprus 
---------------- 
 
9. (SBU) Econoff briefed DGCA officials on USG thinking 
on establishing air services between Northern Cyprus 
and the United States (ref B).  Yalcin responded that 
even incremental progress on this issue was welcome, 
and that an American Airlines codeshare for a Turkish 
Airlines flight to Ercan Airport would have great 
symbolic impact. 
 
Pilot Licensing 
--------------- 
 
10. (U) Haydar Yalcin, DGCA Head of Department for 
Safety, stated that DGCA would like to recognize U.S. 
pilot licenses in Turkey, and that he had discussed 
this with FAA officials earlier this year.  Yalcin 
believes that a bilateral agreement might be necessary 
to effect this, and understood that FAA and the 
Department were considering such an agreement.  He 
requested a status report on this issue. 
 
Multilateral Meetings 
--------------------- 
 
11. (U) Toker told us that he and Yalcin would 
represent the GOT at the ICAO General Assembly in late 
September.  The Turkish delegation will also include 
officials from DHMI, the Turkish military and the 
Foreign Affairs Ministry.  Econoff told Toker that 
Secretary Mineta and Administrator Blakey were planning 
 
SIPDIS 
to meet him in the context of a September 27 dinner 
with the Coordinating Committee of the European Civil 
Aviation Conference (ECAC), of which Toker is a member. 
Yalcin suggested that the upcoming ECAC meeting would 
provide another venue for bilateral dialog. 
 
Comment and Action Requests 
--------------------------- 
12. (SBU) The GOT has cooperated closely with us in 
implementing the EA/SD, at some cost to passengers, 
airlines and GOT authorities.  The best way to ensure 
continued cooperation is to provide the GOT with as 
much information and advance notice as possible of 
changes in security requirements, including whether and 
when the EA/SD might be amended and whether an 
extension to the ETD loan is possible.  Embassy 
requests information which can be shared with the GOT 
on both issues, as well as whether further training in 
the use of ETD could be made available. 
 
13. (U) Embassy would also appreciate information on 
pilot licenses as requested by DGCA. 
Edelman