TURKMENISTAN: UNODC HOSTS QUARTERLY LAW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000685 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, INL DUSHANBE FOR DEA MOSCOW FOR DEA ISLAMABAD FOR DEA ANKARA FOR DEA AID/W FOR EE/EA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID SNAR TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: UNODC HOSTS QUARTERLY LAW ENFORCEMENT DONOR COORDINATION MEETING REF: ASHGABAT 130 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: The local UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized a Law Enforcement Donors Coordination meeting on May 22, where representatives from several Western embassies and international organizations met to discuss current and planned projects. UNODC is actively pursuing financial support from various donors. OSCE listed four projects in the planning stages. The UK Embassy co-sponsored with the Turkish Embassy a study tour for law enforcement officers to Turkey. The Turkish Embassy reported on two upcoming counternarcotics events that Turkey is participating in, including the International Drug Enforcement Conference to be held in Istanbul in July. Other UN agencies loosely connected with drug issues reported on their activities. At these meetings, donors are able to close communication gaps and discover mutual areas of interest and activity. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) The UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Ashgabat hosted the second quarterly meeting of 2008 for Western and international donors to share information on counternarcotics and border security program activity. Representatives from the Turkish and U.S. Embassies, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS),and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) made presentations. Other countries and organizations represented included India, Japan, UN Development Programme (UNDP),and the Government of Turkey's development organization (TIKA). The next meeting of this group will take place in the second half of September. UNODC ¶4. (SBU) Ercan Saka, Project Coodinator of UNODC's Ashgabat office, encouraged all meeting attendees to utilize the "e-network" (mailing list) -- organized by UNODC for Turkmenistan law enforcement-related issues -- to promote effective communication among donors. Saka said that UNODC is continuing implementation of its multi-year program to strengthen controls along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border. Future plans include the following projects: -- On-site training in search techniques (May 26-30) and risk profiling (June 2-6) at the Iman Nazar border crossing checkpoint on the Afghanistan border. UNODC also plans to hold an advanced train-the-trainer workshop with a study tour. -- UNODC is preparing to open up its local Caspian Sea Initiative (reftel) office, including through hiring employees. On June 24-26, UNODC is organizing a Senior Expert meeting at which participants will discuss a three-year strategy for the Caspian Sea Initiative. The Government of Turkmenistan is financially supporting this meeting. Representatives of donor organizations and countries will be invited to take part. Each Caspian Sea Initiative member country is allowed to bring five attendees. UNODC held a consultative meeting for diplomatic missions of member states on April 1, and conducted a container control project. -- The Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) is operational. Liaison officers have been assigned, and the Center is regularly issuing bulletins. *********************** * Missing Section 002 * *********************** *********************** * Missing Section 003 * ***********************