US embassy cable - 05ANKARA7136

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 007136 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TREASURY PASS FINCEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2010 
TAGS: ETTC, KTFN, EFIN, SY, TU 
SUBJECT: MEHLIS REPORT FINANCING DEMARCHE: TURKEY 
 
REF: A. STATE 214622 
 
     B. DAMASCUS 6224 
 
Classified By: Economic Counselor Thomas Goldberger for reasons 1.4(b) 
and (d). 
 
1. (C) Turkey is a likely refuge for Syrians implicated in 
the Mehlis report to try to hide their assets.  Econcouns met 
separately with MFA DDG for Security Huseyin Bicakli and, 
Genc Osman Yarasli, President of MASAK, Turkey's FIU, to 
deliver reftel demarche. In both meetings, EconCouns 
discussed the danger of Mehlis report-named Syrian officials 
moving their money in anticipation of possible UN sanctions 
and describved how the U.S. had alerted our financial 
institutions.  Bicakli and Yarasli seemed to take the point 
and undertook to be on the lookout for suspicious movements 
of funds.  Yarasli said MASAK would search for the Syrian 
names in the suspicious transaction reports MASAK receives 
from financial institutions. 
 
2. (C) Separately, over the past year Amcon Adana has heard 
several unconfirmed reports of transactions of hundreds of 
millions of dollars each that are passed through foreign 
exchange bureaus in Gaziantep, with the funds coming from 
Syria.  Post has no way of knowing whether the individuals 
listed in ref a) are involved with these transactions. 
 
 
WILSON