Cablegate: Turkey Cautiously Supportive of Wto

VZCZCXRO0986
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #1548 3000926
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270926Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1066
INFO RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 6413
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 4226
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1610

UNCLAS ANKARA 001548

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EEB/MTA APRATTIPATI
DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR BNORTON AND MMOWREY
COMMERCE FOR DPAREKH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN ETRD PREL ECON WTRO TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY CAUTIOUSLY SUPPORTIVE OF WTO
REMANUFACTURING INITIATIVE

REF: STATE 107233

1. We delivered reftel talking points and background
information to Halit Akcaglayan, WTO Affairs Department Head
at the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat. Akcaglayan was
already familiar with the issue and noted that Turkey has no
problems in principle with the current proposed text and
could support the initiative, although it may have some
additional questions that it will route via the Turkish
delegation in Geneva. He was interested in the exact
definition of the term "remanufactured goods," but agreed
that this could be accomplished once the actual initiative
got underway. Akcaglayan noted that a delegation from Ankara
would be heading to Geneva for various WTO committee meetings
and he expected that they would also participate in the
November 4 workshop on remanufacturing.

2. Akcaglayan also conveyed an initial request for a
bilateral meeting between State Minister for Foreign Trade
Zafer Caglayan and the head of the U.S. delegation at the WTO
ministerial in December (with the assumption that this would
be USTR Kirk). He noted that a formal request would be
routed via official channels.

JEFFREY

"Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s
gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"

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