Further memorandum from the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE FROM
THE SECRETARY OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, 26 NOVEMBER
2003
THE BOMBINGS
IN ISTANBUL,
20 NOVEMBER 2003
1. I thought you would find it helpful,
in advance of our meeting on 2 December, to set out for you a
brief picture on the Istanbul bombings, our response to them so
far, and a number of wider implications which we are addressing.
2. The bombings of the British Consulate
and the HSBC offices on 20 November were a deliberate and co-ordinated
attack against British interests, part of the continuum of terrorist
violence carried out by al Qa'ida and its associates. As such
they were also very much attacks on the international community
itself: the vast majority of victims from these attacks and those
five days earlier were Turkish citizens.
3. Immediately following the bombings on
20 November, Peter Westmacott, our Ambassador in Ankara, and the
Consul, travelled to Istanbul to co-ordinate the immediate response
on the ground. In London the Prime Minister spoke to the Turkish
Prime Minister to exchange personal messages of support and condolence.
We amended the public travel advice to recommend against non-essential
travel to Istanbul and other major Turkish cities.
4. Having spoken to Turkish Foreign Minister
Gul and made a Statement to the House, I travelled to Istanbul
on the afternoon of 20 November with an FCO Rapid Deployment Team
(RDT) to provide help and assistance to the families of those
killed, the injured and traumatised, (both British and Turkish)
and to help restore some function to the office of the Consulate
General. Staff also established early contact with the business
community. This work is ongoing and the RDT will remain in Istanbul
for as long as they are needed. HSBC representatives accompanied
the RDT on the flight to Istanbul and the RDT have remained in
touch with them, providing assistance and advice. Also on the
plane were a team from the Metropolitan Police (MPS) including
officers from the Anti-Terrorist Branch, Special Branch, and Forensic
experts. The MPS team are undertaking a joint investigation into
the murder of three British citizens, Lisa Hallworth, Nanette
Kurma and Roger Short. That investigation is continuing, with
excellent co-operation between the two police forces, and I will
update the FAC on progress when we receive more information.
5. As you will be aware from media reports,
the "Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front" (IBDA-C) has
claimed responsibility. The "Abu Hafs Al-Masri Martyrs Brigade"
and the "Union of Imam" group have also been blamed.
We are continuing to assess the picture against the available
intelligence. We judge that Al Qa'ida played some part in the
attacks. There continues to be a high threat from terrorism in
Turkey. We have information to suggest that further attacks may
be imminent. We are continuing to advise against all but the most
essential travel to Istanbul and other major Turkish cities. That
advice is of course subject to continuous review. We have kept
the Turkish authorities fully informed of the changes, as we make
them.
6. On my visit to Istanbul on 20-22 November,
I met Victoria Short and the staff of the Consulate. I saw the
devastation at the bomb scenes at first hand and discussed the
bombings with my Turkish colleague, and the Governor and Chief
of Police of Istanbul. The Turkish Government are fully committed
to co-operating with us on investigating these crimes and bringing
the perpetrators to justice, as they are to co-operating with
us and the rest of the international community more widely in
the ongoing campaign against terrorism. I am quite sure that our
close relationship with Turkey will be further strengthened by
this co-operation, as it has been by our co-operation in so many
other areas. I want also to record that we have received exceptional
moral and practical support from the United States in Istanbul.
7. The work of re-establishing the full
function of the Consulate General will take some months. We will
also continue to assess the threat picture, revise the travel
advice accordingly, and vigorously pursue those responsible for
these attacks. In this regard we and our Turkish colleagues will
demand, and expect to receive, the fullest possible co-operation
from the rest of the international community.
8. The Istanbul consular database was destroyed
in the attacks but the RDT is helping to piece it together again
and contact with the British community is being re-established
through the wardens' system. Two of our visa systems experts are
now in Turkey considering how best to restart the large visa operation
there for our Turkish customers. The FCO's senior Overseas Security
Adviser is now in Istanbul to advise on security in the current
temporary location and options for the future location of the
Consulate. An MPS specialist officer is also in Istanbul giving
advice to British businesses and other British institutions on
security. A team from our Medical and Welfare Department is supporting
the British and Turkish staff and families.
9. This attack illustrates the difficult
security environment within which our Posts overseas are working.
Security of our staff is paramount and we have put a lot of time,
effort and resources into protecting them. We need to ensure that
we manage the risk and meet our duty of care to our staff. The
FCO's security experts are therefore urgently identifying our
most vulnerable Posts and assessing how further measures can be
put in place, either by reinforcing the security of the building
or by pressing for better protection from local authorities.
10. We also have to get the overall balance
right between security and the operational requirements: ease
of access by members of the public to our services and the ability
of our diplomats to develop contacts with local decision makers.
These issues are central to the future effectiveness of British
diplomacy.
11. There are other corporate issues on
which we have been working and which Istanbul has highlighted,
including compensation arrangements for our staff, and the need
to ensure that we continue to build-in to our organisation ever
more flexibility to match resources to objectives in rapidly changing
environments.
I am placing a copy of this letter in the library
of the House. I am also sending a copy to the Rt Hon Michael Ancram
QC MP and the Rt Hon Menzies Campbell CBE QC MP.
Rt Hon Jack Straw MP,
Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
November 2003
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