US embassy cable - 03ANKARA3475

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003475 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EB/IFD AND EUR/SE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2008 
TAGS: EAID, EFIN, PREL, IZ, TU 
SUBJECT: COMMUNICATING WITH TURKISH OFFICIALS ON IRAQ 
RECONSTRUCTION/PERSONNEL 
 
 
REF: A. (A) STATE 123372 
     B. (B) STATE 130 
 
 
(U) Classified by DCM Robert Deutsch.  Reason: 1.5(b,d). 
 
 
1.  (C) Reftels instructed embassies to identify a high-level 
point of contact in host governments for a virtual e-mail 
contact group on Iraq reconstruction, and to ask host 
governments to send resumes to State and ORHA of experts who 
might be able to support Iraqi ministries.  Embassy strongly 
supports both initiatives, but believes it is important that 
we be able to follow and, where appropriate, comment on any 
information and resumes the Turkish Government sends to 
Washington. 
 
 
2.  (C) With the Department's assistance, we resolved this 
problem vis-a-vis the resumes by asking the GOT to e-mail 
them to us first, so we can identify possible problems or 
potential conflicts of interest.  We wonder if a similar 
approach might be possible on the virtual e-mail contact 
group, so that an Embassy POC could be sure that information 
is distributed in both directions -- U.S. to GOT and GOT to 
U.S. -- and could follow up on questions or ideas.  We are 
reluctant to stand in the way of modern communications, but 
think it is important that Embassy be able to provide context 
for information Turkish authorities provide to the USG. 
PEARSON