NATO-AFGHANISTAN: DEMARCHE TO GOT ON ALLIED

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001881

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/SE


E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2013
TAGS: PREL MARR AF TU
SUBJECT: NATO-AFGHANISTAN: DEMARCHE TO GOT ON ALLIED
CONTRIBUTIONS TO STAGE I ISAF EXPANSION

REF: STATE 068430


(U) Classified by Political-Military Affairs Counselor
Timothy A. Betts. Reasons: 1.5 (B and D).



1. (C) Pol-Mil Counselor delivered reftel demarche to MFA DDG
for NATO and International Security Affairs Fatih Ceylan
March 30. He said the USG strongly supports NATO's expansion
of ISAF and SACEUR GEN Jones' statement that Allies must fill
the critical shortfalls of the CJSOR before Stage I can be
executed. It was also important that the Allies make every
possible effort to fill the shortfalls by the time that NATO
SYG De Hoop Scheffer attends the Berlin Donors Conference
March 31. Pol-Mil counselor asked that Turkey specifically
consider contributing personnel to a Role 2 and Casualty
Staging Medical Unit in Kabul, providing dedicated aircraft
to COMISAF, and deploying as soon as possible the three
previously committed helicopters.



2. (C) Ceylan agreed it was important that NATO fulfill the
Stage I shortfalls as soon as possible and that the NATO SYG
"succeed" in Berlin March 31. That said, he said MFA needed
to consult with the Turkish General Staff (TGS) before
responding to our requests. Pol-Mil Counselor asked that the
MFA stress to the TGS the urgency of the request. Ceylan
concurred.



3. (C) On the Role 2 and Casualty Staging Medical Unit in
Kabul, Ceylan said that TGS recently told the MFA that the
Turkish military did not possess such a capability. TGS
reportedly said it was in the process of procuring the
capability, but did not indicate when it might be available.
Ceylan added that TGS had instructed its military
representative at SHAPE to so inform SHAPE after this issue
was raised there. Ceylan said the MFA nevertheless would
forward our request to TGS and request that TGS provide a
formal response.



4. (C) Ceylan said that discussions between the Turkish and
Luxembourg militaries on transporting the Turkish helicopters
to/from Afghanistan were on-going. He understood that
Luxembourg had agreed to take care of the cost of
deploying/redeploying the helicopters to/from Afghanistan.
In response to a question, Ceylan said he did not know
whether the Turkish military still sought maintenance support
for the helicopters. He noted that the MFA recently had
asked TGS to provide an update of the discussions between the
Turkish and Luxembourg militaries, and offered to brief us as
soon as he hears back from TGS.
EDELMAN