US embassy cable - 03ANKARA6860

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006860 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SE, NEA/IR-RAPHEL, NEA/FO-TAYLOR 
NSC FOR BRYZA AND MCKIBBEN 
TREASURY FOR OASIA JLEICHTER AND MMILLS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2013 
TAGS: EAID, EFIN, IZ, PGOV, PREL, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKEY AND DONOR STRATEGIES FOR AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ 
 
 
REF: STATE 303818 
 
 
Classified by A/ECON Andrew Snow for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  According to Turkey's Coordinator for 
Afghan and Iraq Assistance Ambassador Okcun, Turkey takes 
very seriously its commitments to Afghan and Iraq 
Reconstruction.  Turkey has already fulfilled its USD 5 
million commitment for Afghanistan and is eager to disburse 
its USD 50 million pledge for Iraq.  Okcun was disappointed 
by the "shameful" lack of financial support of donors at 
Madrid.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
Afghan Assistance 
----------------- 
2.  (C) Econoff met with/delivered reftel talking points to 
Ambassador Okcun, who said Turkey agrees with the initiative 
to accelerate assistance to Afghanistan and reported that 
Turkey had already exceeded its Tokyo pledge of USD 5 million 
to Afghanistan.  He added that the GOT did not want to stop 
there and was considering an additional USD 5 million.  He 
confirmed that Economy Minister Babacan had made this offer 
to Treasury Secretary Snow when they met at the G-20 meeting 
in Mexico.  Okcun was optimistic that Turkey could get the 
money but would not know right away because the proposal must 
be approved by the government and Parliament for next year's 
budget. 
 
 
Madrid Donors' Conference 
------------------------- 
3.  (C) Okcun confirmed that Turkey had increased its pledge 
to USD 50 million.  He was disappointed by the "shameful" 
pledges of many other countries, and estimated that new cash 
grants (excluding the U.S. pledge, loans and other double 
counting) totaled only USD 3.8 billion.  On this basis, 
Turkey, a country with tight budget constraints and a low 
standard of living, ranked 14th among the donors. 
 
 
4.  (C) Okcun said that the donor delegations were confused 
about the organization of assistance for Iraq, especially the 
Multi-Donor Fund.  He said Turkey would focus on bilateral 
programs, earmarking only a fraction for the MDF.  The GOT 
was already reviewing project proposals and assessing them 
against the World Bank Needs Assessment.  However, he said 
that Turkey and other donors do not know who they should 
consult with in Baghdad and will need more central direction 
from Iraqi authorities in order to avoid duplication of 
effort, address Iraq's priority needs and ensure that 
bilateral donor contributions fit into the overall scheme for 
reconstruction.  Embassy would appreciate guidance about 
donor coordination for Iraq. 
 
 
Madrid Private Sector Meeting 
----------------------------- 
5.  (U) Okcun said that Turkey was encouraged by the turnout 
for the private sector session.  However, he said that 
Turkish businesses were reluctant to do more because of 
growing security concerns.  Many Turkish truck drivers will 
no longer travel beyond Mosul, he reported. 
 
 
6.  (U) Baghdad and Kabul minimize considered. 
EDELMAN