US embassy cable - 03ANKARA4908

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 004908 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NP/CBM 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2013 
TAGS: ETTC, PARM, PREL 
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA GROUP: NO INDICATION THAT THE GOT WILL 
BREAK SILENCE ON USG CHEMICAL PRECURSORS PROPOSAL 
 
 
REF: SECSTATE 219619 
 
 
1. (U) Classified by Charge d'Affaires ad interim Robert 
Deutsch. Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
 
2. (C) On August 4, polmiloff delivered reftel points to Omur 
Yurdakul, First Secretary in the MFA's Disarmament 
Department. Yurdakul said that she was not aware of any 
intention within the GOT to break silence on the USG's 
proposal, submitted at the June 2003 Australia Group (AG) 
plenary, to add nine chemical precursors to AG control. She 
said that she would make inquiries and report back to the 
Embassy if she discovered any inclination to break silence on 
this proposal. 
 
 
3. (C) Yurdakul also reported to polmiloff that the GOT was 
nearing completion on a draft law, prohibiting the export, 
import, acquisition, or storage of any chemical on the 
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) list without a license. 
When asked how this law differed from the current regulations 
in place on this subject, Yurdakul reported that the draft 
law defined strict penalties for violations (ranging from 
fines to imprisonment), as well as the specific chemicals 
which are to be placed under control. 
 
 
4. (C) The draft law has almost completed the coordination 
process within the government ministries, Yurdakul said. 
Afterwards, it will be sent to the Prime Ministry for final 
government blessing and then to Parliament. Yurdakul also 
noted that the GOT has begun work on a similar law regarding 
items used to develop biological weapons. 
DEUTSCH