TURKEY TO CONSIDER HELO CONTRIBUTION TO ISAF

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 007279 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2013 TAGS: MARR AF TU SUBJECT: TURKEY TO CONSIDER HELO CONTRIBUTION TO ISAF REF: A. STATE 317086 ¶B. ANKARA 6734 (U) Classified by Charge d'Affaires Robert Deutsch, reasons 1.5, b/d. ¶1. (C) PolMilOff delivered reftel demarche requesting additional helos to meet NATO's SOR for ISAF to MFA South Asia Head of Department Ergin Soner November 18. Soner noted the requirements, agreeing that meeting the SOR in order to go to the next stage of expanding ISAF outside Kabul and supporting the PRTs was very important. He promised to pass the request to TGS, which he speculated would positively consider the request. PolMilOff also delivered the points to TGS/J-3 CPT (Navy) Sinan Sinani, who said it was the first he had heard of the issue. Sinani declined to speculate on whether TGS would be inclined to support the request. ¶2. (C) Comment: We understand that GEN Myers raised the issue with TGS Chief GEN Ozkok in Brussels recently and that Ozkok was noncommittal. MFA NATO DDG Sanivar Kizildeli said recently (ref B) the GOT would like to contribute more to PKOs in general and is trying to reform the GOT's onerous legislative requirements to give the GOT more flexibility in doing so. Perhaps with no imminent plan to deploy its forces to Iraq, Ankara will be willing to ante up for Afghanistan. EDELMAN