Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT271
2008-02-25 08:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: NATO CIVIL EMERGENCY PLANNING
how-toVZCZCXRO6106 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHAH #0271 0560828 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 250828Z FEB 08 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0332 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3427 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1245 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1112 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1681 RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2259
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000271
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
AID/W FOR EE/EA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID MARR NATO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: NATO CIVIL EMERGENCY PLANNING
OFFICIALS BRIEF ASHGABAT EMBASSIES
REF: ASHGABAT 0261
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000271
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
AID/W FOR EE/EA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID MARR NATO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: NATO CIVIL EMERGENCY PLANNING
OFFICIALS BRIEF ASHGABAT EMBASSIES
REF: ASHGABAT 0261
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (SBU) Two officials from NATO's Civil Emergency Planning
Operations Division, Division Head Carsten Fausboll and Staff
Officer Evert Somer, briefed representatives from NATO
embassies on February 18 on their meeting with Deputy Defense
Minister Atabayev. They said President Berdimuhamedov had
discussed civil emergency planning as an area of cooperation
when he met with the NATO Secretary General in Brussels in
November 2007. Although positive about cooperation, Fausboll
said the top-down way the government works in Turkmenistan
would hamper moving forward on civil emergency planning, and
NATO's role is not to improve the Turkmen system. NATO could
assist with civil emergency planning, but Turkmen officials
would need to establish their own priorities.
3. (SBU) Fausboll said Atabayev asked for assistance in the
following areas: earthquake, chemical disasters (especially
when transporting chemicals),avian influenza, flooding and
mudslides (reftel),and how to inform the public about
disasters. Fausboll said NATO would be prepared to assist in
those areas. He described Atabayev as surprisingly open and
outspoken and not at all reluctant to talk. He said he was
surprised that Atabayev did not ask for money or equipment,
as many government officials do, but only for training.
4. (SBU) Somer said he saw a number of positive signs that
bode well for cooperation with Turkmenistan. Atabayev asked
for advice and seemed to value expertise. The deputy defense
minister said the Turkmen had knowledge of how to deal with
disasters, but it was based on practice from the time of the
Soviet Union or on models from former Soviet Union countries.
Atabayev said Turkmenistan needed to learn from a variety of
views and experiences.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: Through CENTCOM's annual
military-to-military contact program, the U.S. military
already has worked with the Turkmenistan Ministries of
Defense and Internal Affairs for several years in the area of
civil emergency preparedness and response. In 2008 alone,
information exchanges on firefighting, urban search and
rescue, aerial search and rescue, a U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers civil emergency planning survey, and the New
Hampshire Civil Military Emergency Preparedness (CNEP)
program are either completed or planned. The U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works with the
Turkmenistan government on avian flu and pandemic disease
issues. Given Turkmenistan's willingness to engage with
other countries in this area and Atabayev's receptiveness,
emergency preparedness may be a promising area for continued
U.S. assistance -- as well as a way for Turkmen officials to
become more comfortable with NATO.
HOAGLAND
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
AID/W FOR EE/EA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID MARR NATO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: NATO CIVIL EMERGENCY PLANNING
OFFICIALS BRIEF ASHGABAT EMBASSIES
REF: ASHGABAT 0261
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (SBU) Two officials from NATO's Civil Emergency Planning
Operations Division, Division Head Carsten Fausboll and Staff
Officer Evert Somer, briefed representatives from NATO
embassies on February 18 on their meeting with Deputy Defense
Minister Atabayev. They said President Berdimuhamedov had
discussed civil emergency planning as an area of cooperation
when he met with the NATO Secretary General in Brussels in
November 2007. Although positive about cooperation, Fausboll
said the top-down way the government works in Turkmenistan
would hamper moving forward on civil emergency planning, and
NATO's role is not to improve the Turkmen system. NATO could
assist with civil emergency planning, but Turkmen officials
would need to establish their own priorities.
3. (SBU) Fausboll said Atabayev asked for assistance in the
following areas: earthquake, chemical disasters (especially
when transporting chemicals),avian influenza, flooding and
mudslides (reftel),and how to inform the public about
disasters. Fausboll said NATO would be prepared to assist in
those areas. He described Atabayev as surprisingly open and
outspoken and not at all reluctant to talk. He said he was
surprised that Atabayev did not ask for money or equipment,
as many government officials do, but only for training.
4. (SBU) Somer said he saw a number of positive signs that
bode well for cooperation with Turkmenistan. Atabayev asked
for advice and seemed to value expertise. The deputy defense
minister said the Turkmen had knowledge of how to deal with
disasters, but it was based on practice from the time of the
Soviet Union or on models from former Soviet Union countries.
Atabayev said Turkmenistan needed to learn from a variety of
views and experiences.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: Through CENTCOM's annual
military-to-military contact program, the U.S. military
already has worked with the Turkmenistan Ministries of
Defense and Internal Affairs for several years in the area of
civil emergency preparedness and response. In 2008 alone,
information exchanges on firefighting, urban search and
rescue, aerial search and rescue, a U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers civil emergency planning survey, and the New
Hampshire Civil Military Emergency Preparedness (CNEP)
program are either completed or planned. The U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works with the
Turkmenistan government on avian flu and pandemic disease
issues. Given Turkmenistan's willingness to engage with
other countries in this area and Atabayev's receptiveness,
emergency preparedness may be a promising area for continued
U.S. assistance -- as well as a way for Turkmen officials to
become more comfortable with NATO.
HOAGLAND