Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ANKARA272
2010-02-18 16:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

TURKEY CONSIDERING DOING MORE TO SUPPORT ANSF

Tags:  MASS PREL NATO 
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Barbara J Miles 02/19/2010 01:47:30 PM From DB/Inbox: Barbara J Miles

Cable 
Text: 
 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 00272
CX:
 ACTION: AMB
 INFO: POL PMA DCM

DISSEMINATION: AMB /1
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: PMA:AGODFREY
DRAFTED: PMA:RLEE
CLEARED: NONE

VZCZCAYI572
OO RUEHC RUCNAFG RUEHNO RUEKJCS RUEKJCS RHMFISS
RHMFISS RUEUITH RUEHAK
DE RUEHAK #0272 0491637
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 181637Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2180
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 7726
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU IMMEDIATE
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000272 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, EUR/RPM, SCA/A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2020
TAGS: MASS PREL NATO
SUBJECT: TURKEY CONSIDERING DOING MORE TO SUPPORT ANSF
TRAINING

REF: A. SECSTATE 14366

B. ANKARA 221

Classified By: Pol-Mil Counselor Anthony Godfrey, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000272

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, EUR/RPM, SCA/A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2020
TAGS: MASS PREL NATO
SUBJECT: TURKEY CONSIDERING DOING MORE TO SUPPORT ANSF
TRAINING

REF: A. SECSTATE 14366

B. ANKARA 221

Classified By: Pol-Mil Counselor Anthony Godfrey, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) We delivered ref a points to MFA NATO and
Euro-Atlantic Security Issues Section Head Esra Dogan on
February 18. She confirmed that the GoT has received recent
letters from both NATO SYG Rasmussen and DSACEUR regarding
additional ISAF training requirements and said that Turkey is
actively considering all the requests "with a positive view."
She said that while Turkey would not be in position to make
a firm commitment on any of the requests in the letter from
DSACEUR at the February 23 ISAF Force Generation Conference,
she expects that Turkey will make a general but positive
statement about its intent to do its utmost to help meet ISAF
training requirements.


2. (C) She relayed that the Afghan Interior Minister Atmar
met with his Turkish counterpart Besir Atalay on February 5
in Ankara and requested that Turkey send 1500 security
trainers to Afghanistan to meet Afghanistan's massive
training needs. According to Dogan, the Ministry of Interior
is still evaluating this request, but there is a political
decision to be as forward-leaning as possible in meeting this
Afghan request. It remains unclear, however, to what extent
the Ministry of Interior will be able to meet this request as
it does not have experience deploying its officers in such
large numbers. Dogan also confirmed that Turkey did pledge a
Police Operational Mentoring Liaison Team (POMLT) at the
December force generation conference, but the timing of the
team's deployment is still not firm; the Ministry of Interior
has action on developing the modalities of the team's
deployment.


3. (C) On one specific request -- for Turkey to establish a
comprehensive medical clinic in Wardak and training Afghan
personnel to operate the facility -- Dogan said Turkey has
already taken the decision to move forward on evaluating this
request and that experts from the Ministry of Health is
planning to send a team to Wardak to make an assessment.


4. (C) She noted that some of the requests by DSACEUR are
apparently linked to Turkey's establishment of its PRT in
Jowzjan, including one POMLT to be based in Sheberghan, where
Turkey intends to deploy its PRT. She said that Turkey is
impatient about the inconclusive discussions that have taken
place thus far with Germany and Sweden regarding security
arrangements for the Turkish PRT (ref b) and that there is a
growing sense within the MFA that Turkey should not wait for
a positive response from Germany and Sweden if the talks do
not lead to an agreement soon.


5. (C) Undersecretary Burns, during his February 18 meeting
with Deputy Chief of the Turkish General Staff General Aslan
Guner, expressed appreciation for Turkey's significant
contributions , especially in training Afghan police and
security personnel, and encouraged Turkey to do more. Guner
proudly recounted some of Turkey's latest initiatives, and
said that the military had gotten full support from the
civilian government in financing support to Afghanistan.


6. (C) Comment: Given the additional contributions Turkey
pledged at the December NATO FM meeting (training of one
brigade's worth of ANA personnel, establishment of a military
training facility in Kabul that will train 600 ANA personnel
at a time, a Police Training Center in Jowzjan attached to
its planned PRT, one additional OMLT to accompany the four
already deployed to Kabul, a POMLT, and opening more police
training courses in Turkey for Afghan police officers),we
were pleasantly surprised that Turkey remains open to doing
still more in Afghanistan. Turkey's forward-leaning posture
in response to the Afghan Interior Minister's request
reaffirms our view that the GoT will be inclined to be
responsive to direct requests from Afghan officials.
Jeffrey

"Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s
gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"