Cablegate: Country Clearance Angela M. Theriault - Ankara And

VZCZCXYZ1129
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAK #5395/01 2581431
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151431Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8727
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1282

UNCLAS ANKARA 005395

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OTRA OREP AMGT AFIN PGOV TU
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE ANGELA M. THERIAULT - ANKARA AND
ISTANBUL

REF: STATE 150753

1. (U) Mission warmly welcomes and grants country clearance
to Angela M. Theriault to travel to Turkey September 17 - 21,
2006. Embassy telephone is (90)(312) 455-5555, 24 hours a
day.

2. (U) Hotel reservations for Istanbul have been confirmed at
the Ritz Carlton Istanbul, Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367,
Sisli, Istanbul Tel: 90-212-334 4444, Fax 90-21-2334 4455.
Reservations for Ankara will be communicated in a separate
communication.

3. (U) Visas: Please note that all Americans entering Turkey
must have a valid Visa. The only exception is military
personnel under CINC control traveling on NATO orders.
Military IDs are not/not acceptable travel documents.
Travelers with tourist passports can obtain a Visa valid for
one entry/three months at ports of entry upon payment of a
USD 30 fee in cash. (This fee is payable only U.S. dollars
cash.) Holders of official or diplomatic passports must
obtain Visas from the nearest Turkish Embassy (not Consulate)
before arriving in Turkey. Visas for official and diplomatic
passports will not/not be available at ports of entry.

4. (U) Health Safety: Information on vaccinations and other
health precautions can be obtained from the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention hotline for international
travelers (tel: 1-877-394-747); fax 1-800-232-3299; or via
the internet at HTTP//www.cdc.gov.

5. (U) Security Assessment: In the aftermath of Operation
Iraqi Freedom (OIF) there continues to be the potential for
both transnational and indigenous terrorist groups to target
U.S. interests in Turkey. After the Gulf War, the
predecessor to the Turkish Terrorist Group Revolutionary
People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) assassinated four
Americans in Turkey and carried out numerous bombings of U.S.
targets (mostly private sector businesses, although two
rockets were directed toward the Consulate General in
Istanbul). Subsequent to the ending of OIF hostilities,
there have been isolated terrorist bombings attributed to
DHKP/C and other indigenous terrorist groups in protest of
OIF. Other Turkish terrorist groups with anti-Western
sympathies include Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP),
Turkish Communist Party/Marxist Leninist (TKP/ML), Turkish
Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Army (TIKKO) and Islamic
Greater Eastern Raiders/Front (IBDA/C).

Al-Qa'ida threats to target U.S. facilities in Turkey have
been public knowledge for some time. On November 15, two
synagogues in Istanbul were the targets of suicide car bombs.
On November 20, 2003, the British Consulate General and the
London-based HSBC bank in Istanbul were damaged by powerful
explosions, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. These
incidents represent a significant change from prior attacks
in Turkey, which have previously involved small-scale, random
bombings and small numbers of casualties. The investigations
of these incidents in Istanbul remain open but transnational
terrorist links are suspected. The potential for violence
and terrorist actions against U.S. citizens and interests
continue.

The Turkish National Police (TNP) is quite responsive in
their role as protector of U.S. diplomatic and military
interests in Turkey. The TNP has provided enhanced coverage
at each of our facilities in Ankara, Istanbul, Adana and
Izmir. The incidence of crime, both violent and the more
traditional tourist crimes (pick pocketing, purse-snatching,
etc.), is relatively low throughout Turkey. Visitors to
Istanbul should be aware that tourist-type crimes are more
prevalent there, especially in the traditionalist tourist
areas, such as Sultanahmet and Istiklal Caddesi. The
security office encourages visitors to report any security
incidents, including surveillance, to the RSO immediately.

Useful security information about Turkey is available on the
following websites:

--Embassy Ankara: HTTP://WWW.USEMB-ANKARA.ORG.TR (Click on
Security Matters)

--Consulate General Istanbul:
HTTP://USCONSULATE-ISTANBUL.ORG.TR

6. (U) For further information regarding travel in Turkey,
consult the consular information sheet. The consulate
information sheet and public announcements are available on
the internet at: HTTP://TRAVEL.STATE.GOV

Other information is available on the following websites:

--The State Department Consular Affairs (CA) websites:
HTTP://WWW.TRAVEL.STATE.GOV/TURKEY.HTML

--US Embassy Ankara:
HTTP://WWW.USEMB-ANKARA.ORG.TR

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON

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