US embassy cable - 04ANKARA1881

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001881 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/SE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2013 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, AF, TU 
SUBJECT: NATO-AFGHANISTAN:  DEMARCHE TO GOT ON ALLIED 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO STAGE I ISAF EXPANSION 
 
REF: STATE 068430 
 
 
(U) Classified by Political-Military Affairs Counselor 
Timothy A. Betts.  Reasons:  1.5 (B and D). 
 
 
1. (C) Pol-Mil Counselor delivered reftel demarche to MFA DDG 
for NATO and International Security Affairs Fatih Ceylan 
March 30.  He said the USG strongly supports NATO's expansion 
of ISAF and SACEUR GEN Jones' statement that Allies must fill 
the critical shortfalls of the CJSOR before Stage I can be 
executed.  It was also important that the Allies make every 
possible effort to fill the shortfalls by the time that NATO 
SYG De Hoop Scheffer attends the Berlin Donors Conference 
March 31.  Pol-Mil counselor asked that Turkey specifically 
consider contributing personnel to a Role 2 and Casualty 
Staging Medical Unit in Kabul, providing dedicated aircraft 
to COMISAF, and deploying as soon as possible the three 
previously committed helicopters. 
 
 
2. (C) Ceylan agreed it was important that NATO fulfill the 
Stage I shortfalls as soon as possible and that the NATO SYG 
"succeed" in Berlin March 31.  That said, he said MFA needed 
to consult with the Turkish General Staff (TGS) before 
responding to our requests.  Pol-Mil Counselor asked that the 
MFA stress to the TGS the urgency of the request.  Ceylan 
concurred. 
 
 
3. (C) On the Role 2 and Casualty Staging Medical Unit in 
Kabul, Ceylan said that TGS recently told the MFA that the 
Turkish military did not possess such a capability.  TGS 
reportedly said it was in the process of procuring the 
capability, but did not indicate when it might be available. 
Ceylan added that TGS had instructed its military 
representative at SHAPE to so inform SHAPE after this issue 
was raised there.  Ceylan said the MFA nevertheless would 
forward our request to TGS and request that TGS provide a 
formal response. 
 
 
4. (C) Ceylan said that discussions between the Turkish and 
Luxembourg militaries on transporting the Turkish helicopters 
to/from Afghanistan were on-going.  He understood that 
Luxembourg had agreed to take care of the cost of 
deploying/redeploying the helicopters to/from Afghanistan. 
In response to a question, Ceylan said he did not know 
whether the Turkish military still sought maintenance support 
for the helicopters.  He noted that the MFA recently had 
asked TGS to provide an update of the discussions between the 
Turkish and Luxembourg militaries, and offered to brief us as 
soon as he hears back from TGS. 
EDELMAN