TURKISH RESPONSE: POTENTIAL PAKISTAN DONORS

UNCLAS ANKARA 002055 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/PB MARY TOWNSWICK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN IBRD IMF PK TU AF SUBJECT: TURKISH RESPONSE: POTENTIAL PAKISTAN DONORS CONFERENCE IN MID-DECEMBER REF: A. SECSTATE 124618 ¶B. ANKARA 1972 ¶C. ANKARA 1917 ¶1. (SBU) On November 26, we delivered reftel message to Babur Girgin, Department Head, Directorate of South Asia, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Girgin said Turkey is generally supportive of the concept of holding a Pakistan Donors, Conference, but has not determined the level of its participation or any specific amount of assistance it may pledge. ¶2. (SBU) At Girgin's request, we shared information on the status of legislation establishing proposed Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZ) in remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Girgin said the MFA has begun the Ankara Process, a project through which Turkey plans to provide assistance, intermediation, and technical capacity building to the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan. This project builds off of the GOT,s trilateral summit, initiated in April 2007, and includes components for security, political, press, and economic issues. The MFA has finished its brainstorming process and is now broaching possible projects with the two governments. ¶3. (SBU) Presidents Gul, Karzai, and Zardari are expected to come together in another summit December 5 in Istanbul, where the initiative will be discussed further. On the economic front, Turkey envisions Organized Industrial Zones, similar to the ROZ plan. These would provide employment for duty free manufactured goods for export. In addition, the Turkish Union of Chambers and Industry (TOBB) plans to provide capacity building for chambers of commerce in the two countries and work on business development centers that would focus on microfinance. Girgin emphasized that the GOT wants to work on these projects with "no duplication and lots of synergy" with the USG and other countries interested in assisting Pakistan and Afghanistan. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey SILLIMAN