FM BABACAN IN AFGHANISTAN; GILLANI, KARZAI IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 001917 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR EUR/SE, SCA/A, SCA/PB E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PTER MARR EAID EINV AF PK TU SUBJECT: FM BABACAN IN AFGHANISTAN; GILLANI, KARZAI IN TURKEY REF: ANKARA 1819 Classified By: POL Counselor Daniel O'Grady, reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: FM Babacan stressed Turkey's commitment to Afghanistan during his October 26-27 visit to Kabul, Wardak and northern Afghanistan. The Turks are pressing forward on infrastructure and education projects, but face obstacles from local and national authorities in Kabul. Turkey has some specific proposals on how it can increase training of Afghan security forces in Turkey and welcomes our suggestions. Pakistani CHOD GEN Kayani is visiting Ankara November 5, where he will meet with President Gul and military leaders. The Turks will propose to him including Afghan officers in upcoming Turkey-Pakistan joint exercises. The GOT views the Dostum problem as resolved and has extended an invitation to him to travel to Turkey for medical treatment. Babacan, PM Gillani and President Karzai signed a Joint Declaration in Istanbul October 30 continuing the trilateral process; Turkey has proposed to host a second, presidential-level summit in November or December. Our MFA interlocutor voiced concern that unauthorized U.S. attacks on Pakistan weaken the democratically-elected government in Islamabad and bolster Taliban recruitment. Equally concerned about the Pakistani economy, the GOT is developing proposals for financial assistance to Pakistan that it hopes to be able to announce at the next "Friends of Pakistan" meeting in Abu Dhabi. The GOT is suggesting we urge the IMF and Islamabad to reach a stand-by agreement soon, preferably before the "Friends" meeting. END SUMMARY. BABACAN HIGHLIGHTS TURKISH SUPPORT FOR AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶2. (C) MFA DDG for South Asia Babur Hizlan briefed us November 4 on FM Babacan's October 26-27 visit to Afghanistan, where he met with President Karzai, VPs Massood and Khalili, FM Spanta, Defense Minister Wardak and Education Minister Wardak. (New Interior Minister Atmar was unavailable.) Babacan also visited the Turkish-administered PRT in Wardak and the northern cities of Mazar-e-Sharif, Sheberghan and Aqcha, where he met with the Balakh and Jowzjan governors and local officials, and visited some Turkish-constructed/run schools. ¶3. (C) While in Kabul, Babacan reviewed ongoing and planned Turkish education, hospital and infrastructure projects. Along with his wife, he visited the University of Kabul, where the Turkish Development and Cooperation Agency (TIKA) supports a Turcology department and constructed a sports complex, and also visited an orphanage. Hizlan informed us that Turkey is prepared to commence work on two long-discussed projects in Kabul: city road-paving and construction of a new hospital. TIKA has already completed the tenders for the paving work, awarding the contract to a northern Afghanistan-based company. The Kabul mayor, however, has objected to the contract not being awarded to a Kabul-based company, according to Hizlan. Babacan and the mayor discussed this issue, with the mayor promising to clear any hurdles, but Hizlan said the mayor is once again blocking the project. He noted that Turkish companies are facing similar problems with the Kabul mayor on contracts awarded to them by third country aid agencies. Likewise, despite funds earmarked and contracts awarded, the Afghan Ministry of Health is raising bureaucratic obstacles to the construction by Turkey of a new hospital, refusing to issue the construction permits until the MOH concludes a protocol with Turkey on the hospital's management. (NOTE: Turkey has already pledged to administer the hospital for an interim period after its opening. END NOTE.) ¶4. (C) Babacan participated in ceremonies at two schools in Jowzjan province: one in Sheberghan built by TIKA and transferred to the Afghan MOE, and one -- a girls' school in Aqcha -- built by a Turkish-Afghan citizen and Fetullah Gulen adherent. (NOTE: Gulen is a Turkish Islamic leader promoting interfaith dialogue whose followers sustain a widespread educational network in Turkey and abroad, including in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. END NOTE.) He also visited a Gulenist boys' school in Mazar-e-Sharif. Gulenists can be controversial in secular Turkey, Hizlan ANKARA 00001917 002 OF 004 reminded us, but he expressed admiration for their commitment, especially for the ten Turkish women who have volunteered to teach girls in remote Aqcha. According to Hizlan, the girls are receiving a high-quality education in Dari, as well as in English and Turkish. Babacan was reportedly impressed by the students' Turkish and the warm reception he and his wife received. ¶5. (C) Hizlan was downbeat on what Babacan saw in Wardak. All the Pashtun districts there are under Taliban control, he said. Due to such poor security conditions, the Turks chose not to notify the Afghans until the very last minute about Babacan's plan to travel to Wardak, coordinating their own security arrangements and traveling by road in armored personnel carriers. Hizlan noted that in Wardak's Chak district, where Turkey constructed a girls' school, the Taliban-dominated local council has ordered that girls may only attend school for the first few years of primary education, and the central government is powerless to change this. DOSTUM INVITED TO DRY OUT IN TURKEY; JUNBESH PARTY LEADERS VISIT ANKARA -------------- ¶6. (C) From Turkey's perspective, according to Hizlan, the Dostum problem is solved: Akbar Bai dropped the charges against him; his travel restrictions were lifted, and his title as Chief of Staff to Commander in Chief of the Afghan National Army restored; he should be en route north. The GOT loathes Akbar Bai, but Hizlan credited Afghan Senate leader Mojadeddi for mediating the reconciliation between Dostum and his erstwhile foe. The GOT has invited Dostum to Turkey for medical and alcoholism treatment. Hizlan reminded us that Dostum is "not handled easily" and may not accept the invitation. ¶7. (C) Junbesh party leader Said Noorullah visited Ankara November 3 and Istanbul November 4. The GOT is expecting Junbesh deputies to visit Turkey soon for "grass roots political training." Turkey, according to Hizlan, has extended such training periodically to representatives of various Afghan political parties. Two weeks ago Turkey hosted Hazara leader Mohaqqeq in Ankara. The Turks have emphasized to us that Turkey seeks to maintain balanced relations with all parties in Afghanistan, including rival Hazara factions, urging all sides to act in the interest of Afghanistan and to participate in the legitimate political process. SUPPORT FOR AFGHAN ELECTIONS AND SECURITY FORCES TRAINING -------------- ¶8. (C) Following up on our October 17 demarche on Afghan elections (reftel),Hizlan said $5 million of the $100 million Turkey pledged for Afghanistan in Paris is already earmarked for elections support. He asked that we convey to him any specific suggestions we may have on how Turkey could apply these funds (we reminded him of the UNDP "basket fund") or how it can provide other, in-kind contributions, such as elections training or monitoring. ¶9. (C) Hizlan emphasized that Turkey is ready to increase significantly its contribution to training and equipping Afghan police and military forces and wants to discuss with us any suggestions we may have. He restated that Turkey can undertake such training in Afghanistan, using the model it applied in Bosnia, or carry out such training in Turkey, through the Ankara-based International Academy Against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC) or NATO-certified Center of Excellence-Defense Against Terrorism (COE-DAT). ANKARA TO PROPOSE TURKEY-PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN JOINT EXERCISES TO KAYANI -------------- ¶10. (C) Pakistani CHOD GEN Kayani will visit Ankara November 5, where he will meet with President Gul, his Turkish General Staff counterparts and, schedule permitting, PM Erdogan. Hizlan said Turkey will propose to Kayani that Afghan officers be invited to join future TU-PK joint exercises (the two sides hold three to four such exercises per year),noting an upcoming commando exercise. Hizlan said scheduling joint ANKARA 00001917 003 OF 004 Pakistan-Afghanistan security training is not easy. Only the day before, Afghan mid-level police officials began a course at TADOC without their Pakistani counterparts after the Pakistani side pulled out at the last minute for passport issuance-related problems. (The course and all related travel and lodging expenses were to be fully-funded by Turkey.) FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN -------------- ¶11. (C) Hizlan said that Turkey, with its "meager" resources, is thinking about how it can extend financial assistance to Pakistan. One idea is to upgrade the Karachi representational office of the state-owned T.C. Ziraat Bank to a full-fledged bank, which would require a deposit into the Pakistani Central Bank. The GOT would like to have a concrete proposal to announce by the November 17 "Friends of Pakistan" meeting in Abu Dhabi. Hizlan suggested the U.S. lean on the IMF and Islamabad to reach a stand-by agreement soon, preferably before the "Friends" meeting. TRILATERAL MEETING ISSUES JOINT DECLARATION -------------- ¶12. (C) Pakistani PM Gillani visited Ankara October 28 and 29 as the guest of honor at Turkish Republic Day celebrations. Following meetings with Gul, Erdogan and other senior officials, as well as a trade and business-related event, Gillani traveled to Istanbul with Erdogan for the World Economic Forum (WEF),where Erdogan hosted a trilateral meeting with Gillani and Karzai. Hizlan noted that Karzai had not been expected to attend the WEF, but appeared to have changed his mind when he learned that Gillani would be on hand. He observed that, compared to Musharraf, Karzai has a good rapport with Gillani and Pakistani President Zardari. The three sides decided to reaffirm their support for the process in a Joint Declaration (see para. 14) and even expanded the scope of cooperation to include security. The Declaration also welcomed the initiation of the Jirgagai process. Hizlan said Turkey supports the process of reaching out to so-called "nationalist" or "reformed" Taliban, so long as it is a Pakistan/Afghanistan-led initiative. The leaders decided to organize a second, presidential-level trilateral summit; Hizlan said November 17 would conflict with the "Friends of Pakistan" meeting, so Turkey is proposing November 28 or December 5 in Istanbul. The Afghans are perpetually ready, said Hizlan, but the Pakistanis are tougher to nail down. U.S. STRIKES IN PAKISTAN UNDERMINE THE GOVERNMENT -------------- ¶13. (C) Hizlan underscored Turkey's concern that U.S. attacks on targets in Pakistan, if unauthorized by Pakistani authorities, violate Pakistan's sovereignty. Furthermore, such strikes undermine the democratically-elected government in Islamabad and could bolster Taliban recruitment efforts. TEXT OF TRILATERAL MEETING JOINT DECLARATION (AS RELEASED) -------------- ¶14. (U) BEGIN TEXT: JOINT DECLARATION ADOPTED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE TRILATERAL MEETING HELD AMONG THE PRESIDENT OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN, PRIME MINISTER OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and His Excellency Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan came together for a trilateral meeting with His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey on 30 October 2008 in Istanbul on the occasion of the World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia 2008. President Karzai and Prime Minister Gilani, during their comprehensive, cordial and useful meeting on regional and international issues with Prime Minister Erdogan, with reference to the Ankara Declaration of the Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Summit Meeting held on ANKARA 00001917 004 OF 004 29-30 April 2007 and the decisions of the Joint Working Group which convened in Ankara on 6 July 2007, reiterated their pledge to cooperate towards promoting peace, security, stability and economic development in the region. During the meeting, the President of Afghanistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan expressed satisfaction on contacts and cooperation between the two brotherly countries and agreed to continue with their dialogue and to further enhance cooperation in all fields with a view to achieving stability and promoting prosperity of their peoples. The three leaders welcomed the initiation of the process of Jirgaigai and expressed the hope that it would contribute to restoring peace and reconciliation. The three leaders welcomed the establishment of the "Istanbul Forum" in October 2007, on the invitation of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey to foster cooperation between the chambers of commerce and industry of Afghanistan and Pakistan with a view to contributing to the economic dimension of the Trilateral cooperation. In this context they agreed to identify and initiate joint projects, wherever feasible to promote development and connectivity at the regional plane. The three leaders, during the meeting, underlined their commitment to the continuation of the Trilateral Summit process, and expressed their perspectives on cooperation in political, security, counter-terrorism, economy, education, health, agriculture, energy and cultural fields. Prime Minister Erdogan also communicated Turkey's sincere desire that the Trilateral Summit process would yield a result which directly contributes to the prosperity of the Afghan and Pakistani people with a vision of common development. The Prsident of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan commended the initiative of Turkey and decided to organize the Second Trilateral Summit at the earliest convenience of the three Presidents. Istanbul, 30 October 2008 END TEXT. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON