US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5379

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005379 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2014 
TAGS: ECON, ETRD, IZ, PREL, PTER, TU 
SUBJECT: GROWING TURKISH ANXIETY ABOUT SECURITY FOR WORKERS 
IN IRAQ 
 
REF: A. STATE 195610 
 
     B. ANKARA 
     C. BAGHDAD 1044 
     D. DAMASCUS 5468 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Eric Edelman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 1.  (C) Summary:  Turkish officials were grateful for the 
explanation in ref a on convoy security, but their concern 
about the domestic impact of the mounting toll of Turkish 
drivers dying in Iraq continues to rise.  We are concerned 
that Turkish companies and drivers will begin pulling out of 
Iraq, hampering U.S. supply operations and reconstruction 
projects.  Action requested in para 10.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) The number of Turkish drivers killed or abducted 
jumped again this weekend after reports September 20 of an 
incident near Baghdad in which as many as 12 Turkish drivers 
were killed or kidnapped.  Prior to today's news, Turkish 
authorities estimated that 30 Turkish drivers had been 
killed, with perhaps 20 more missing and possibly kidnapped. 
The DoD Movement Control Team, which oversees U.S. supply 
contracts from Turkey, said that 26 Turkish drivers 
contracted by DoD had been killed, and there were 50 reported 
incidents in which the drivers had been shot or injured in 
Iraq. 
 
3.  (U) On September 17, Ambassador Edelman shared ref a 
talking points on trucker security with Turkish Trade 
Minister Tuzmen.  Ambassador emphasized that Turkish 
officials need to work closely with Iraqi officials to 
address some of their concerns, such as insurance and 
construction of safe rest areas for trucks and drivers. 
Demonstrating the high level of public interest in the 
subject, the meeting was widely reported in the Turkish 
press. 
 
4.  (C) Also on September 17, econoffs delivered ref a 
talking points to MFA DDG for Bilateral Economic Affairs 
Sakir Fakili, who was grateful for the U.S. response to the 
GOT request for help with trucker security (ref b).  He said 
the government was working with some Turkish companies 
interested in constructing secure rest areas for truckers in 
Iraq and urged the companies to work with local Iraqi 
authorities.  Fakili said the U.S. proposal for regular 
meetings at or near Habur Gate to include MNF-I commanders 
was welcome, but he could not respond until the proposal had 
been reviewed.  He noted that Turkey has an abundance of 
excellent security firms and asked what the U.S. response 
would be to hiring Turkish firms to provide security for 
Turkish drivers and companies in Iraq. 
 
5.  (SBU) Fakili also shared with us a paper, dated 30 August 
2004, which he said the Turkish embassy in Kuwait received 
from the "Deputy Commander of U.S. forces in Kuwait."  The 
paper, titled "Action Taken by US Military with Respect to 
Foreign National Drivers that Must Travel to Iraq under a US 
Government Contract," lists 10 actions U.S. government 
contractors are obliged to take with respect to foreign 
workers hired from Kuwait for work in Iraq.  The most notable 
of these are:  incorporating Kuwaiti labor laws; providing 
life insurance; paying a 5 percent incentive pay; and 
establishing a compensation package for workers killed or 
injured in Iraq.  (Embassy will fax full text of paper to 
EUR/SE.)  Comment:  Although the benefits in the memo do not 
address security issues, they would provide some additional 
financial protections and incentives for truckers.  Fakili 
said Turkey would like similar benefits extended to Turkish 
drivers working in Iraq.  End Comment. 
 
6.  (C) Turkey's MFA Coordinator for Iraq Reconstruction 
Rifat Okcun told econoff that he had called a special meeting 
September 20 of the GOT Iraq Reconstruction Coordinating 
Committee, which includes the concerned Turkish ministries 
and business representatives.  In light of the recent reports 
of more dead Turkish drivers, he expected the private sector 
representatives to complain that the government was not doing 
enough to protect them.  He said Turkish contractors were 
beginning to draw back people from Iraq, and he was concerned 
that Turkish truck drivers would increasingly refuse to make 
deliveries into Iraq. 
 
7.  (SBU) Separately, also on September 17, Yuksel executive 
Emin Sazak told us that his company will continue its 
operations in Iraq.  (Yuksel is a leading Turkish 
construction company, with several large USG-funded 
construction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan.)  However, 
Sazak said that increasingly Iraqi workers were walking away 
in response to threats and Turks are increasingly difficult 
to recruit.  He shared with the Ambassador a CD which he was 
told contained graphic video of attacks on workers and 
killings; the CD is being widely distributed in and around 
Kirkuk apparently to intimidate workers.  He raised a couple 
of issues regarding the difficulties Yuksel continues to 
face:  He said it was essential to support insurance for 
companies in Iraq.  Yuksel lost a shipment of generators 
worth USD 300,000.  He inquired whether cargo flights into 
Iraq were possible (embassy notes ref d report of passenger 
flights to Amman and Damascus), and he reported that some 
U.S. military commanders were not allowing workers and 
company officials to bring cell phones and computers inside 
the camps. 
8.  (SBU) We also continue to receive complaints from Turkish 
firms about unpaid invoices by DoD prime contractor KBR.  At 
least three Turkish firms have formally approached the 
Embassy with assertions that KBR has not paid invoices 
amounting to several million dollars each.  Post's attempts 
to engage KBR on this issue so far have been futile.  The 
non-payments issue has a potential to become a significant 
embarrassment for the USG. 
 
9.  (SBU) During a September 10 visit to Ankara by DOC DAS 
Stewart, post organized an Iraq Reconstruction Video 
Conference that included the Chief of the Contract Support 
Staff Office of the Army's Program Contracting Office. 
Although this event attracted more than 30 major Turkish 
contractors, the inability of the U.S. officials to respond 
or address basic questions on insurance and security left 
many Turkish participants, who had traveled from all over 
Turkey, extremely disappointed.  Several participants 
privately told us that they are seriously considering pulling 
out of Iraq or not bidding an any new Iraq-related contracts. 
 
10. (C) Comment and Action Request:  Turkish officials 
appreciate the difficulties facing U.S. forces in Iraq and 
are generally grateful for Department's initial response (ref 
a) to their request for help with trucker security.  However, 
it is increasingly clear that the rising violence against 
foreign workers in Iraq will make it more difficult for the 
GOT to work with truckers on this issue and that more and 
more Turkish companies and individual drivers will choose to 
suspend their work in Iraq or avoid high risk areas until 
conditions improve (ref c).  To counteract this trend, we and 
the Turkish government must be able to demonstrate that new 
measures are being taken to protect the interests of Turkish 
workers.  We request that department verify the information 
handed to us on actions taken in Kuwait (para 5) for foreign 
drivers in Iraq and evaluate whether similar actions could be 
taken for Turkish drivers.  We also request guidance on the 
conditions under which cargo flights would be allowed into 
Iraq, and U.S. views on Turkish security firms operating in 
Iraq. 
 
11. (U) Baghdad minimized considered. 
 
EDELMAN