US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6234

UNCLAS ANKARA 006234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB AND EUR/SE 
DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR LERRION 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/DDEFALCO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, TU 
SUBJECT:  Implementation of Mandatory Importers 
Associations Postponed 
 
Ref: Ankara 3240 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please Handle Accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  GOT plans to create mandatory 
membership organizations for importers have not been 
implemented, apparently due to widespread business 
opposition.  The GOT is considering an alternate kind of 
organization, a joint (mandatory membership) foreign 
trade association including both importers and 
exporters.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Reftel reported GOT plans to create mandatory 
membership organizations for importers, ostensibly for 
the purposes of improving collection of statistical 
information, combating smuggling and the informal 
economy, and supporting importers competing in 
international trade.  A number of business groups 
opposed the measure, fearing it could impede trade by 
interfering in pricing and quality standards for 
imported goods, and by imposing extra documentary 
requirements and fees on imports as well as membership 
fees on importing companies. 
 
3. (SBU) Naci Akin, Director of Business Development and 
Investment Consultancy, at the Turkish Union of Chambers 
(TOBB) told us October 1 that all major business 
organizations are against the creation of importers' 
unions, and that TOBB Chair Hisarciklioglu continues to 
debate this issue with State Minister Tuzmen.  Akin 
pointed out that these bodies were supposed to have been 
established by July 2004, but they have not been 
implemented yet.  Mustafa Alper, Director General of the 
Foreign Investors Association (YASED) told us that 
business has succeeded in blocking full implementation 
of the associations, at least for now, though some 
steps, such as the nomination of a secretary general, 
have been taken. 
 
4. (SBU) Murat Yapici, the Foreign Trade 
Undersecretariat's (FT) Deputy Director General for 
Imports, told Econoff October 25 that several steps 
toward forming the importers associations have taken 
place, but the plan has not been fully implemented. 
Seven sectoral importers associations were created, 
leadership boards were selected and a provisional USD 2 
million budget was set.  However, the leadership for a 
national structure has not been chosen.  Yapici told us 
that member companies "were not ready", and cited 
problems in information technology systems and other 
administrative issues. 
 
5. (SBU) Yapici told us that FT is considering an 
alternate structure merging importers' and exporters' 
unions into a single "foreign trade association".  This 
would have the advantage of using the resources and 
infrastructure already in place at TIM, the Turkish 
Exporters' Assembly.  However, no firm decisions have 
been taken on this subject, and he implied that there 
was no definite timetable for further action. 
 
6. (SBU) Comment:  It appears that business opposition 
has succeeded in blocking the importers' associations 
for the time being.  Given the statist and 
interventionist mentality of many Turkish officials and 
the temptation to use nontariff measures to put a brake 
on imports, the GOT may well return to this idea in the 
future.  Embassy will continue to follow this issue and 
report impact on trade, if any. 
Edelman