TURKISH PARTICIPATION AT PARIS DONOR'S CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 00111 SIPDIS SIPDIS TREASURY FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFIRS AHMED SAEED E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2017 TAGS: EFIN EAID LE TU SUBJECT: TURKISH PARTICIPATION AT PARIS DONOR'S CONFERENCE FOR LEBANON REF: A. A) SECSTATE 2781 ¶B. B) PARIS 158 Classified By: Economic Counselor Tom Goldberger for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Ambassador Koray Turgay, the Turkish MFA official responsible for assistance issues, confirmed that Foreign Minister Gul will represent Turkey at the "Paris III" donor's conference January 25. Turgay said the Minister had not made a final decision on how much Turkey would pledge but it would probably be $20 million, the sum Turgay had recommended. The Turkish assistance would be in kind in the form of project assistance. Targay was skeptical that the January 4 reform plan, although it looked good on paper, would actually be implemented given the lack of a political consensus in Lebanon. He said he strongly believed that any new funds would to waste in the absence of such a comprehensive reform program. ¶2. (SBU) Turgay briefed us on the status of Turkey's existing projects in Lebanon in fulfillment of the pledge at the Stockholm conference. Turkey is building and equipping 50 schools, and recently agreed to a Lebanese request to provide an additional 20 schools and possibly 2 health clinics. Although many of the pre-fabricated schools have been transported to Lebanon, construction has been slowed by the Lebanese authorities needing to resolve property issues on the sites. ¶3. (C) Comment: As a country with its own debt problems until recently, and still under an IMF program and fiscal austerity, Turkey's willingness to make a pledge, however modest, reflects the importance Turkey attaches to the stabilization of Lebanon, as does Gul's participation and Turkey's UNIFIL contribution. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON