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Viewing cable 06ANKARA323, TURKISH FINANCE MINISTER TERRORISM FINANCE

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06ANKARA323 2006-01-27 16:09 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Ankara
VZCZCXRO4555
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0323/01 0271609
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271609Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2771
INFO RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 9684
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0322
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0549
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000323 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
TREAS for OFAC (RWERNER), FINCEN (MMELANCON), EOTFFC 
(POBRIEN) and (RLEBENSON, JSERAFINI), OIA (JGARDNER) and/or 
(MLEAVITT) 
JUSTICE FOR OPDAT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN KTFN PTER PBIO TU IZ
SUBJECT:  TURKISH FINANCE MINISTER  TERRORISM FINANCE 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: In his first meeting with Finance Minister 
Unakitan, the Ambassador stressed the importance of 
preparing for Turkey's upcoming Financial Action Task Force 
(FATF) review.  Unakitan expressed confidence that the 
legislation governing Turkey's anti-financial crime agency 
will be passed soon, but seemed to be under the 
misapprehension that passage of the law will be sufficient 
for Turkey to implement the FATF recommendations.  The 
Minister expects both this law and the social security 
reform laws needed for the IMF program to be passed in the 
coming month. End Summary. 
 
----------------- 
Terrorism Finance 
----------------- 
 
2. (SBU) In response to remarks by the Ambassador about 
improving U.S.-Turkish relations, Unakitan said that Turkey 
and the U.S. have a strong friendship and both sides need to 
see benefits from it.  He believed the relationship will 
continue to grow, noting bilateral cooperation in many 
fields, including on anti-money laundering and counter- 
terrorism finance (AML/CTF) issues.  Unakitan said the GOT 
views terrorism as a crime against all humanity and a global 
issue. 
 
3. (SBU) Ambassador raised Turkey's FATF review and the need 
to pass the "MASAK law" as one of a number of needed 
preparatory measures. Unakitan, as he has in earlier 
meetings, implied that passage of the MASAK law will allow 
Turkey to meet FATF requirements.  The MASAK law (which 
explicitly criminalizes terrorism finance and provides safe 
harbor for bank filers of suspicious transaction reports) is 
now under review by a parliamentary sub-commission, 
according to Unakitan.  The Minister was optimistic it will 
be passed into law in the next month.  (Later in the 
conversation, however, he noted that the GOT has several 
other priority draft laws in need of passage as well, such 
as the law merging the social security institutions and the 
pension reform law.) 
 
4. (SBU) Ambassador mentioned the Turkish National Police's 
creation of a terrorism finance unit and thought this was an 
opportunity to intensify cooperation between MASAK (the 
Turkish financial Intelligence unit under the Ministry of 
Finance) and the police.  The Minister said three ministries 
cooperate closely on terrorism finance: Justice, Finance and 
Interior (police). 
 
--- 
PKK 
--- 
 
5. (SBU) Ambassador pointed out another area of cooperation: 
cutting off PKK support networks, including financing, in 
western Europe and briefed the Minister on the December 
visit of an interagency team of U.S. law enforcement and 
intelligene experts with their Turkish counterparts.  The 
Minister seemed aware of the effort an appreciated it. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Counterfeit Cigarette Factory in northern Iraq 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
6. (SBU) As he has before, Unakitan asked for U.S. help 
regarding a factory in northern Iraq that produces 
counterfeit cigarettes for export to Turkey, thereby causing 
a substantial loss of tax (and tobacco parastatal) revenue. 
Unakitan linked this issue to the PKK issue, suggesting the 
factory was a source of financing to the PKK. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
IMF Program, Fiscal Policy and Social Security Reform 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
7. (SBU) Asked about the macroeconomic situation, Unakitan 
echoed a point Economy Minister Babacan sometimes makes: the 
AKP Government laid out its program in its pre-election 
party manifesto in 2002 and has been implementing it since. 
Unakitan said the GOT's core economic priorities are fiscal 
discipline, lower inflation with the help of an independent 
central bank, and privatization.  He added that the 2005 
start of EU accession negotiations had accelerated the 
 
ANKARA 00000323  002 OF 002 
 
 
improvement in the economic situation, and thanked the 
Ambassador for U.S. support for Turkey's EU accession. 
 
8. (SBU) On the twice-delayed social security reform 
legislation, Unakitan said it was important for Turkey 
regardless of the IMF program and that the social security 
institutions' deficit was a big headache for him.  He hoped 
the legislation would be passed in the next month, as agreed 
to with the IMF. 
 
-------- 
Bio Note 
-------- 
 
9.  (SBU) When asked about his children's extended time in 
the U.S., Unakitan said all three of his grown children had 
studied and lived in the U.S. but had now returned to 
Turkey. His oldest daughter, a medical doctor, had lived in 
Pittsburgh, and his son and other daughter studied at Ohio 
State.  The youngest daughter earlier attended a girls' 
school in Troy, NY.  Unakitan said his two grandsons were 
American citizens, having been born in the U.S. 
 
Wilson