INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Mfa's Accepts Almost All of Epc Action Items

Published: Tue 6 Jan 2004 01:31 PM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
061331Z Jan 04
UNCLAS ANKARA 000045
SIPDIS
STATE FOR E, EB/CBED, EUR/SE AND NEA/NGA
TREASURY FOR OASIA - JLEICHTER AND MMILLS
DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR CNOVELLI/LERRION
FAS FOR ITP/THORBURN
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/DDEFALCO
DEPT PASS OPIC - BRIAN TREADWELL
DEPT PASS EXIMBANK - RAY ELLIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PREL EINV TU
SUBJECT: MFA's Accepts Almost All of EPC Action Items
Ref: State 345792
1. (SBU) Econoff discussed reftel's updated version of
the Economic Partnership Commission's (EPC's) Agreed
Action Items with Mehmet Gucuk, MFA's Deputy Director
General for Bilateral Economic Affairs, on December 30.
Gucuk, who said he was transmitting the Ministry's
official views on this after briefing Undersecretary
Ziyal, said MFA accepted our latest draft, except for
the last sentence of the first investment item
concerning quarterly reports by the GOT. He said that
the GOT took investment problems seriously and hoped to
have some concrete results on at least the Cargill
issue. He added that the GOT was willing to meet and
update USG representatives on request and would respond
to the ACIEP report on investment issues, but did not
want to submit to a regular reporting requirement for
the USG. Gucuk said MFA would prefer to drop the
sentence on quarterly reporting altogether.
Alternately, MFA would accept a mutual commitment by
both sides to report quarterly on the range of EPC
followup items.
2. (SBU) Recommendations: Embassy suggests that
Washington agree to drop quarterly reporting. We feel
that our ongoing contacts with the GOT, and the proposed
bimonthly telephone conversations between
Undersecretaries Larson and Ziyal, provide adequate
means to monitor resolution of disputes. Given the
Prime Minister's visit to Washington in late January and
the Turkish state holidays on February 2, 3 and 4, post
suggests scheduling the first bimonthly call in mid- or
late February.
Edelman
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