TURKS WILL ATTEND BONN AFGHAN RECONSTRUCTION

UNCLAS ANKARA 008695 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR EB/IFD/ODF, SA/RA, EUR/SE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL AF TU SUBJECT: TURKS WILL ATTEND BONN AFGHAN RECONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE REF: A. SECSTATE 239799 ¶B. ANKARA 8150 ¶1. (U) Turkey will be represented at the Bonn-Petersberg conference on Afghanistan Reconstruction by Ambassador Aydemir Erman, the MFA Deputy U/S and Coordinator for Afghanistan, and Ambassador Okcun, the MFA Coordinator for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Embassy provided Ref A talking points on 11/25 and met with Ambassador Okcun on 11/26. ¶2. (U) Okcun advised that Turkey's completed reconstruction projects now total $2.8 million, up from $1.8 million reported in Ref B. The GOT has also received commitments of $1.5 million for next year and has set aside another $4.5 million for possible future use. ¶3. (U) Turkey intends to focus its reconstruction efforts in four areas: Healthcare, Training, Agriculture and soon-to-start Gender Issues projects, such as those that address women and children's issues. Completed projects breakdown as follows: -- $ 314,000 for medicine, medical supplies and equipment, cash assistance to hospitals; -- $ 1,760,000 for training of doctors, diplomats, water experts, teachers; -- $ 200,000 for infrastructure (telephone network installation); -- $ 23,800 for babyfood; -- $ 608,936 cash to Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) and early support to the Afghanistan Interim Authority Fund (AIAF). -- Other projects in agriculture and health are underway and not calculated above. Citing a statistic that more than 50,000 families in Kabul depend for their survival on the income of children, Okcun said that Turkey's first Gender Issues project would be to establish a multi-purpose community center for vocational training. Four hundred (400) sewing machines and 75 small printing presses are squirreled away for vocational training for women at that as yet unconstructed center. ¶4. (SBU) Okcun noted that the U.S. is constructing a healthcare facility in Menkucek (ph) and advised that Turkey is more than willing to train Afghan medical professionals to staff it or to assist USG in anyway. ¶5. (U) Minimize considered. DEUTSCH