Wikileaks - CCCLXXII

Saturday, 03 September, Year 3 d.Tr. | Author: Mircea Popescu

70059 7/3/2006 8:33 06ANKARA3838 Embassy Ankara SECRET 06ANKARA2924|06BUCHAREST1009|06STATE98132 VZCZCXYZ0004 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHAK #3838 1840833 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 030833Z JUL 06 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6949 INFO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 0316 RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0677 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST PRIORITY 0892 RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA// PRIORITY RHMFISS/425ABS IZMIR TU//CC// PRIORITY RHMFISS/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU// PRIORITY S E C R E T ANKARA 003838

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR ISN/CATR, EUR/PRA, NEA/I/PM, AND EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2026 TAGS: PREL, PARM, ETTC, IZ, TU, RO, TC SUBJECT: ROMANIAN ARMS FOR IRAQ: INFORMATION ON TURKISH INTERMEDIARIES

REF: A. STATE 98132 (NOTAL) B. HORNER-BURGER EMAIL 06/30/2006 (NOTAL) C. ANKARA 2924 AND PREVIOUS D. BUCHAREST 1009

Classified By: Acting Pol-Mil Counselor Maggie Nardi for reasons 1.4 (b ) and (d).

1. (C) Post researched all three companies listed ref a which may be involved as intermediaries in shipping weapons from Romania to the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF):

--Martel Electronics and Representations, Ltd.: This company was apparently the shipper of weapons to Iraq earlier this year. There appears to be no Turkish company under this name. There is a company called "Martel Telekom Sigorta ve Aracilik Hizmetler" (translates to "Martel Telecommunications, Insurance, and Mediation Services"), but it appears to deal with telecom issues, not shipping. Our research found a company called "Martel Transporting and General Maintenance Company," but it is based in Abu Dhabi, not Turkey.

--Qasr al Aman Martel Representation and Trading Company: We could find no information on this company in Turkey. Qasr al Aman is definitely an Arabic name, not Turkish. This company could be related to the one in Abu Dhabi described above.

--IMS Construction Machinery Defense Company: There is a company in Turkey called "IMS Engineering Consultancy and Trade Company" which was established in Istanbul in 1989. It deals with project planning and management. It does not appear to be a shipping or arms transport company.

2. (S) We note that the GOT is concerned that weapons we have provided to ISF (primarily Glock handguns) have been smuggled into Turkey and used to commit high-profile murders (see ref c). According to ref b, Turkish authorities have confiscated about 665 Glocks which Embassy Baghdad has traced to weapons we provided to ISF from 2003 to 2005. Based on ref a info, we cannot locate the Turkish intermediary that was purportedly used for the Romanian sale that has apparently already been completed. We can investigate further if the Department is able to provide more information on this company.

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

WILSON

Category: Breaking News
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