TURKEY OFFERS TO LEAD AFGHANISTAN PRT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000444 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2011 TAGS: MOPS PREL KPKO PARM NATO TU AF SUBJECT: TURKEY OFFERS TO LEAD AFGHANISTAN PRT Classified By: DCM Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see para. 4. ¶2. (C) Following up on the Turkish Perm Rep's Feb. 1 announcement to the NAC that Turkey plans to stand up a PRT in Wardak Province in Afghanistan as soon as this summer, we contacted MFA Head of Department for South Asia Murat Ulku. Ulku said that a team of Turkish military and civilian officials will make a fact-finding trip to Wardak, probably (weather permitting) in March. ¶3. (C) Ulku reported that during President Karzai's Jan. 4-7 visit to Turkey, GOT leaders expressed an interest in leading a PRT. Karzai reportedly responded enthusiastically; Afghan officials subsequently suggested a short list of locations, including Wardak. Additionally, Ulku said, D/SACEUR had also given Turkish officials a list of possible locations, which also included the same province. The GOT is confident, he added, that NATO will accept the Turks' offer. ¶4. (C) COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST: This concludes, we hope, our two-year long efforts to marry up the GOT's desire to lead a PRT with the needs of the Alliance and the Afghans. We would appreciate confirmation that Washington approves of the GOT's offer. END COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST. WILSON