ACTION REQUEST: ASHGABAT REQUESTS DOD

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000684 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN (MUDGE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR TX SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST: ASHGABAT REQUESTS DOD COUNTERNARCOTICS SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR CENTRAL ASIA REF: ASHGABAT 219 ¶1. This is an action request, please see paragraph 4. ¶2. Turkmenistan was zeroed out for country-specific U.S. Department of Defense supplemental FY 06 counternarcotics funding, and post requests funding from the Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities Defense for Central Asia and Afghanistan portion of the supplemental bill. Post emphasizes the fact that failure to recognize the Afghanistan - Turkmenistan border in a regional context undermines all U.S. government efforts to contain and stem the trafficking of precursor chemicals into Afghanistan and the consequent outflow of narcotics from Afghanistan. ¶3. Turkmenistan is geographically situated as a narcotics transit route from Afghanistan directly and a diversionary route of narcotics transiting through Iran. Using U.S Central Command 2005 supplemental funds, the U.S. government is building two border-crossing checkpoints to upgrade vital border areas through which cargo and people must pass in order to transit Turkmenistan. Person-to-person contact is a direct by- product of the border-crossing checkpoint project that cannot be overlooked in an environment where access to foreigners is restricted and most law enforcement information is guarded as a state secret. This project is not just about buying equipment and building infrastructure; the project has been about establishing vertical and horizontal connections with the government of Turkmenistan that gives the U.S. government access to making a broader, deeper and greater impact in stemming the flow of narcotics. This is the ultimate U.S. government regional objective. ¶4. Action Request: Post requests that U.S. Central Command restore at least $3 million in supplemental funds to continue a project that has established new links to the law enforcement and border management communities for the U.S. government with the goal of stemming the trafficking of narcotics throughout the region. ¶5. COMMENT: The border-crossing checkpoints complement existing INL counternarcotics programs that address improved law enforcement capabilities to realistically address counternarcotics trafficking. Failure to continue this project could result in reduced GOTX participation in other regional counternarcotics programs of interest to the U.S. Department of Defense. End Comment. JACOBSON