Cablegate: Turkey: Corruption Investigation at Habur Gate Slows Fuel

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RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHDA #0155 1810544
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300544Z JUN 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4215
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0763
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0660
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0110
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 0178
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0815

UNCLAS ADANA 000155

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON CASC TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION AT HABUR GATE SLOWS FUEL
TRUCK TRAFFIC

1. (U) On June 28 the flow of fuel trucks across Habur Border
Gate was drastically reduced in both directions for nearly one
day as a result of the arrest of 30 officials at the gate,
allegedly for irregular handling of petroleum products. The
press reported that the Silopi Prosecutor stopped transport
through the gate for most of the day based on truck drivers'
complaints that gate officials charged with detecting excess
fuel (i.e., amounts of fuel exceeding the capacity of each
individual truck-and therefore taxable--and carried in barrels)
had seized extra fuel and stored it in tankers, allegedly for
private use or sale. As of the morning of June 30, the flow of
trucks across the border had picked up only slightly. It
remains uncertain how long it will take before a more normal
flow of traffic across the border will resume.
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Earlier Meetings with Gate Officials
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2. (SBU) AMCON Adana conoffs called on acting Habur Gate
sub-governor Haci Mehmet Kara on June 21. The Habur MFA
representative and the TOBB consortium construction manager
joined the meeting while in progress. Kara expressed confidence
that the gate could continue to expand its operating capacity
since the southbound construction project largely was completed
and he had inspectors visibly working five of six available
customs inspections stations, each oh which he said was equipped
with scales. He mentioned that both north and southbound bridge
resurfacing also was complete. The TOBB construction manager
said that remaining project work was focused on completion of
the initial northbound security assessment area followed by the
northbound customs inspection stations. Visible work to pour
concrete over a wide concrete apron leading from the northbound
inspection stations to a pre-exit marshalling area was visible
on June 21. Kara and the MFA representative said that the GoT
agreed with the concept of multiple eventual border crossing
with Iraq, mentioning Ovakoy as the second proposed site and
saying that a third potential crossing could be placed between
the Habur and Ovakoy sites, if traffic so demanded. When
discussion of the current renovation project's completion arose,
Kara ventured "late July, early August," as the likely
completion window. Later the TOBB representative, who runs the
project, said "middle to late August" is a more likely
completion date, adding that "it will be no later than August
when we get this project done." Efforts to determine the exact
traffic flow between customs stations southbound were
unsuccessful and a clear process was not evident to conoffs.
However, traffic flow inside the recently-completed southbound
customs holding area immediately before the inspection stations
and at the inspection stations themselves appeared more orderly
than in past recent gate visits.

3. (SBU) At a subsequent June 21 weekly border crossing meeting
attended by Turkish, Iraqi and U.S. military officials, Turkish
and Iraqi officials discussed a possible plan to schedule most
northbound Iraqi fuel oil shipments, which account for up to 150
tankers daily, between 0500 and 0900 (local). Iraqi officials
also complained to GoT officials that a shipment of U.S.-origin
frozen chicken from the Koch company had arrived at the Ibrahim
Khalil side in spoiled fashion and thus was rejected, explaining
a traffic snarl earlier in the week. The Turkish truckers union
representative asked that cargo trucks carrying "rejected
merchandise" be given a priority to return to Turkey over other
northbound traffic. Both Turkish and Iraqi officials were
non-committal in response.

REID

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