TURKEY: PAKISTAN DONORS' CONFERENCE AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000405

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SE, SCA/A, SCA/PB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2019
TAGS: PREL EAID ECON EFIN INRD IMF AF PK IR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: PAKISTAN DONORS' CONFERENCE AND
AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE; NEXT TRILATERAL SUMMIT SOON

REF: A. SECSTATE 24367

B. SECSTATE 24422

C. ANKARA 379

Classified By: Acting POL Counselor Chris Krafft, reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (U) We delivered ref A points on the Pakistan Donors'
Conference and ref B points on the Afghanistan Conference to
MFA South Asia Department Head Babur Girgin March 18.

PAKISTAN DONORS' CONFERENCE
--------------


2. (C) Turkey's representation is undecided for the April 17
meetings in Tokyo. FM Babacan intends to travel to Yerevan
April 16-17 to attend the Ministerial of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Organization. BSEC, based in
Istanbul, is a Turkish priority, and the Turks are attaching
considerable importance to the ongoing rapprochement with
Armenia. The Turks have not ruled out Babacan somehow
managing both, but Girgin thought it unlikely. If Babacan
does not attend the Donors' Conference, Deputy U/S for South
Asia and Middle East Feridun Sinirlioglu will lead the
Turkish delegation. Girgin chuckled that Turkey's
contribution would be a "fraction" of the estimated $1
billion U.S. contribution, but said "it will be something."
MFA requested in December, with a "positive view," a budget
allocation from the Prime Ministry and Finance Ministry for
Pakistan at the Donors' Conference and is still awaiting a
decision. Girgin noted IMF's call for donor assistance to
fund the social safety net and development programs, implying
that Turkey may be able to enhance its contribution to
Pakistan by augmenting its ongoing and planned development
assistance to Pakistan, some of which is being implemented in
the context of the trilateral (Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan)
Ankara Process. Education may be an area on which Turkey
chooses to focus; in their paper to Ambassador Holbrooke, the
Turks highlighted the need for "massive modernization" in the
field of education in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and said
Turkey could take a leading role.

AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE
--------------


3. (C) FM Babacan plans to attend the March 31 Afghanistan
Conference in The Hague. The rest of the delegation is not
set but will almost certainly include Sinirlioglu and/or DG
for South Asia and Middle East Husseyin Dirioz. Girgin
identified two important aspects of the conference: the
participation of Iran and engaging ISAF troop contributors,
like Australia, who are not invited to the NATO Summit. The
Turks are hard at work developing specific proposals on
Afghan security contributions, some of which Girgin previewed
(septel). A Turkish General Staff delegation is returning to
Turkey tomorrow from Kabul and will submit its
recommendations soon. Girgin underscored that he was not
intending to raise expectations and that the caveats on
Turkish forces will remain, but that Turkey will make
additional, "limited but meaningful" contributions to ISAF.
He did not foresee any announcements at The Hague conference,
indicating, rather, that any announcements of new Turkish
pledges for ISAF would be made at the NATO Summit the
following week.

TRILATERAL SUMMIT IMMINENT?
--------------


4. (C) MFA reported to us March 13 that Afghan President
Karzai, during his bilateral meeting with President Gul at
the March 10-11 Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
Summit in Tehran, requested Turkey host another trilateral
summit with Pakistan (ref C); Pakistani President Zardari did
not oppose this, according to the Turks. FM Babacan said in
a TV interview March 17 that such a meeting would occur
"soon," and would focus on security and intelligence. Girgin
said the Turks were making a diplomatic representation to
Islamabad March 18 on the subject. Girgin saw this upcoming
summit as focused more on the "dialogue pillar" than the
"development pillar." Agencies in each country are right now
implementing the decisions taken at the previous summit, in
December 2008. Considerable progress has been made on joint
police and counter-narcotics training, and on forming a joint

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natural disaster response mechanism. Less has been achieved
on the economic development side (the Istanbul Forum),given
the political instability and violence in both countries.
The Turks were aware that the effort would be slow-going;
U.S. Congressional approval of "Reconstruction Opportunity
Zones" (ROZs) for Pakistan and Afghanistan would help.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey

Jeffrey