TURKEY: AFGHANISTAN PRT TO OPEN IN NOVEMBER; ISAF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004761 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AF AORC EAID MOPS PREL TU XD NATO SUBJECT: TURKEY: AFGHANISTAN PRT TO OPEN IN NOVEMBER; ISAF SHARED COMMAND UNDERWAY REF: A. ANKARA 4061 ¶B. ANKARA 3617 ¶C. 05 ANKARA 6323 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On August 8, MFA Head of Department for South Asia Murat Ulku provided an upbeat account of preparations to establish Turkey's first Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT),slated to open by November. Ulku said construction had begun, staffing is underway, and initial projects have been selected for this five year effort. Turkey hopes to use the PRT to re-establish historical and cultural ties and to leave behind a solid infrastructure for the Afghan people. Ulku confirmed the August 6 start-up of Turkey's shared ISAF Kabul Regional Command with France and Italy and praised the collaborative effort. End Summary. -------------- PRT OPERATIONAL OUTLOOK -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Ulku stated that Wardak PRT should begin operations by the beginning of November 2006. Per Ulku, the 5 million USD PRT compound will be comprised of permanent structures that can be turned over to the Afghans. The decision to construct durable facilities resulted in some delays, but on August 7, in a ceremony led by Turkey's Defense Minister Gonul, the foundation was begun. PRT staff will total approximately 80 individuals, 60-70% of whom will be military, led by a Lieutenant Colonel. An MFA official will lead a core civilian staff and rotating civilian experts from the Ministry of Interior, TIKA (the Turkish AID-equivalent), the Turkish National Police, and other agencies. Ulku looks forward to NATO expansion to the south and east of Kabul. Given Turkey's experience with ISAF, it is familiar with ISAF rules of engagement and operating procedures. ¶3. (SBU) The GOT plans to operate the Wardak PRT for five years, through the year 2011. After 2011, GOT hopes to turn over PRT facilities and functions to local authorities. The GOT concept is for an open compound where Afghans are welcome. The local community will be allowed to use PRT facilities for religious and cultural functions where appropriate. -------------- PRT FUNDING -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Ulku explained that the PRT construction costs were allocated from a new peacekeeping fund, separate from the 100 million USD Turkey pledged for Afghanistan reconstruction (ref b),of which 20 million USD has been spent on school and hospital projects. The Afghanistan reconstruction fund, to be used for projects throughout Afghanistan as well as Wardak PRT, will be budgeted at approximately 16 million USD annually, over a period of five years. The GOT is also seeking additional ways to raise contributions for Afghanistan, such as establishing sister-city links between Turkey and Afghanistan, so that Turkish mayors might organize assistance at the city level. -------------- PRT NEAR- AND LONG-TERM PROJECTS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Turkey hopes to realize near-term, quick-impact projects before the PRT is activated. Ambassador Koray Targay, the Turkish Coordinator for Reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq, and TIKA representatives visited Wardak in July to assess the feasibility of such projects (ref a). Near-term projects may include the construction of a refrigerated warehouse to store agricultural products, so that farmers can avoid having to sell their goods immediately to Pakistan, only to buy them back later at a higher price. In addition to construction projects, long-term efforts will include police and counter-narcotics training. The GOT has kicked off this project by bringing high-level police officers from Wardak to Turkey for Turkish language and train-the-trainer courses. Wardak officials have asked Turkey to provide education on mainstream Islam in hopes of countering extremist movements. The GOT is considering this. -------------- ISAF KABUL REGIONAL COMMAND UNDERWAY -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Ulku confirmed that Turkey, France, and Italy initiated a combined, two-year command of the ISAF Kabul Regional Command on August 6. Each country will rotate command over three consecutive, eight-month periods: France (Aug. 2006 - Apr. 2007),Turkey (Apr. 2007 - Dec. 2007),and Italy (Dec. 2007 - Aug. 2008). During France's command, Turkey will act as Deputy Commander, and Italy will act as Deputy Chief of Staff (CoS),with France acting as CoS. When Turkey assumes command in Apr. 2007, Italy will act as Deputy Commander, and France will act as Deputy CoS, with Turkey acting as CoS. Plans are to turn over the command to another country in Aug. 2008, although the GOT has not ruled out participation in an extended mission. Ulku was upbeat about the cooperative effort with two EU-member states, which had gone smoothly even with the late addition of Italy. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON