Project Proposal for Afghan-Turkish

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001977 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INL VIENNA FOR U.S. MISSION TO UNODC SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR EAID TU AF SUBJECT: Project Proposal for Afghan-Turkish Counternarcotics Training Ref: Ankara 1414 This is an action request. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: As discussed reftel, Post, working with the Regional DEA office in Ankara and Kabul, has developed the following proposal for enhancing Turkish-Afghan counternarcotics cooperation. The training, to be led by DEA's training team, would entail bringing together Afghan and Turkish investigators to do case studies on joint, cross- border investigations, in order to build both capacity and Turkish-Afghan law enforcement relationships, taking advantage of Ankara's good training facility, and recognizing that Turkey is the principal transshipment point for Afghan-derived opiates. End Summary. -------------- Background -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Turkey is the single most important route for transshipment of opiates from Afghanistan to world markets. Both Turkey and Afghanistan are open to strengthened cooperation. Such cooperation against cross-border cases would increase disruption of international traffickers' ability to move opiates from Afghanistan to Europe. DEA cooperates extensively with Turkish law enforcement on counternarcotics but has been hampered in recent years by the absence of USG counternarcotics assistance to Turkey due to Leahy Amendment concerns. ¶3. (SBU) In addition to reinforcing U.S. law enforcement's relations with Turkish law enforcement agencies, a joint training project would also take advantage of Ankara's excellent TADOC training facility, while enjoying the cost savings of conducting training in the region. The project would build relationships between Turkish and Afghan law enforcement personnel, facilitating their cooperation and take advantage of Turkish law enforcement's relatively greater expertise to expose Afghan law enforcement to Turkish experience in counternarcotics case work. -------------- Project Description -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The project would entail bringing U.S. trainers from DEA's Afghan Training Team to Turkey to conduct a one- week workshop on joint, cross-border investigations, with Turkish and Afghan law enforcement officers. As the DEA Afghan Training Team will be in Kabul from June through October 2006, the cost of these trainers' travel would be �00A;less than if they came directly from the U.S. DEA agents stationed in Ankara would also support the training, as would Turkish police trainers. Trainees would consist of between 10-20 Afghan law enforcement personnel and 10-20 Turkish police investigators. The course would provide practical case studies of joint investigations, and enable participants to absorb lessons learned, share experiences and learn from the trainers' experience. -------------- Funding -------------- ¶5. (SBU) We estimate the total cost to be approximately $60,000. This includes the trainers' and Afghan participants' travel and per diem, simultaneous translation between English and Turkish and from English to Pashto, lunch and coffee breaks for all participants and course materials and other incidental expenses. Though we do not yet have a commitment from the Turkish authorities, our experience with TADOC suggests there would be no charge for the use of TADOC's training facilities, and that the Turkish National Police would cover out-of-town Turkish participants lodging and per diem. In addition to monies allocated to USG counternarcotics programs in Afghanistan, we note that the remaining balance available for Turkey counternarcotics programs is $57,719, and we would welcome use of a portion of these monies to fund a collaborative U.S.-Afghan-Turkish effort. -------------- ANKARA 00001977 002 OF 002 Goal/Performance Measures -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The goal of this project is to enhance the investigative abilities of both Turkish and Afghan investigators, to increase their willingness to cooperate internationally on joint cases, and to build relationships between the two countries' law enforcement agencies. This would play a significant role in fostering real Turkish- Afghan collaboration on counternarcotics issues and toward stemming the trafficking of Afghan drugs through their country. A secondary goal would be to show our support for Turkish law enforcement's counternarcotics efforts in order to help sustain their good cooperation with U.S. law enforcement. -------------- Sustainability -------------- ¶7. (SBU) DEA-sponsored courses promote extended interaction with DEA Special Agents in the region which facilitates later contact by DEA agents based in Turkey on joint investigations, both with DEA and with Afghanistan. Turkish law enforcement in general, and the Turkish National Police in particular, have greatly strengthened the effectiveness of their efforts against narcotics trafficking. This means that they make good use of a training such as the proposed project, integrating the skills learned into an existing, reasonably effective framework. It would also improve their cooperation with Afghan counterparts through both the skills learned and the relationships forged. On the Afghan side, where there is a tremendous need for improved investigative skills, the training will be a major boost to both the Afghans skills and to the likelihood of them cooperating internationally on cross-border cases. ¶8. (SBU) Post has not yet consulted with Turkish law enforcement on this proposal and would appreciate the Department's feedback before doing so. Wilson