US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1062

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001062 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS AID FOR TMEFFORD AND VKWOK 
TREASURY FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - RADKINS AND MMILLS 
NSC FOR BRYZA AND MCKIBBEN 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, EFIN, KPAO, TU 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S ESF-LINKED SCHOOL VISIT: ESF 
SIGNING CEREMONY GENERATES     EVEN MORE POSITIVE NEWS 
COVERAGE 
 
REF: A. Ankara 912,  B. 20043 Ankara 6213 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: On February 7, the Ambassador 
participated in a signing ceremony for the $9 million 
U.S. ESF grant to the World Bank to be used for 
conditional cash payments to poor families.  Remarks by 
the Ambassador, World Bank director, Turkish Treasury 
Undersecretary and the manager of the project, helped 
publicize the project and the U.S. role.  The event 
garnered substantial attendance from the press, who 
produced ample, and mostly favorable, coverage. 
Combined with the largely positive coverage of the 
Secretary's visit, Turkish newspaper readers have been 
 
SIPDIS 
given a break from the relentlessly negative coverage 
of the U.S. Post believes this kind of event can play a 
useful role in countering anti-Americanism here, 
justifying the relatively modest allocation of ESF 
funds.  The Ambassador and Minister of Education 
visited a primary school in a poor neighborhood of 
Ankara February 23.  The school visit was linked to the 
U.S. ESF grant to a project providing cash to poor 
families conditioned on their keeping their children in 
school.  There was widespread and favorable coverage in 
both print and televised media.  The photos of smiling 
Minister and Ambassador side by side, surrounded by 
children and agreeing on the two countries' shared 
values, provided a positive contrast to other rrecent 
coverage of strains in U.S.-Turkish relations.  the 
U.S.  End Summary. 
 
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AAmbassador Visits School in Poor NeighborhoodSpeaks at 
Signing Ceremony at Turkish Treasury: 
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2. (SBU) On February 23, the Ambassador visited the 
Huseyin Gullu Ceylan Primary School in the Altindag 
municipality of Ankara. The immediate vicinity of the 
school, like many neighborhoods in Altindag, has a 
mostly low-income population, with many recent migrants 
from other provinces (see ref b for a description of a 
previous visit to another neighborhood school).   The 
visit was designed to highlight once again the U.S. $9 
million dollar ESF grant through the World Bank to the 
Social Risk Mitigation Project which provides cash 
payments to poor families on condition they keep their 
children enrolled in school (see reftel a describesing 
signing ceremony for the grant) two weeks earlier). 
The visit to the Ceylan school -- selected because of 
the high number of project beneficiaries -- enabled the 
Ambassador to meet first-hand with students as well as 
with mothers who receive the cash payments.  The U.S. 
Government's $9 million grant to the World Bank for the 
Social Risk Mitigation Project of the Turkish Social 
Solidarity Fund, was signed at the ceremony at Turkish 
Treasury.  As the Ambassador witnessed the U.S. grant 
letter of agreement, which had been previously signed 
by USAID DAA Mefford (who also attended), the World 
Bank and Turkish Treasury signed the companion 
agreement under which the Bank passes the funds on to 
the GOT for use by the Turkish Social Solidarity Fund 
to disburse to poor families under the project. 
 
 
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Education Minister Joins Inn. 
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3. (SBU) The day before the visit, Minister of 
Education     Celik decided to join the Ambassador, 
thereby increasing press interest.  Moreover, the 
Minister's evident enthusiasm, both in being seen in 
the school milieu, and in being there with the 
Ambassador, helped make it a more compelling story for 
Turkish mass media, and provided a visual image of US- 
Turkish friendship and cooperation. 
 
4. (SBU) The visit included a meeting between the 
Ambassador and Minister, a press conference, brief 
remarks to the press followed by a short Q-and-A, a 
chat with 5 mothers benefiting from the cash payments, 
a visit to a classroom, and a stop at the school's 
library where both Minister and Ambassador presented 
gift books. 
 
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.Improving the story. 
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5. (SBU) The classroom vclassroom visit provided the 
best photo opportunity: the papers and TV featured a 
photo of the beaming Ambassador and Minister wedged 
into well-worn classroom benches, surrounded by 
children.  Mass-circulation Sabah even included some of 
the Ambassador's Q-and-A with the kids: "How many 
children do you have?" "When you were a kid, did you 
work hard?" This arguably does more for the U.S. image 
then exchanges with the press on bilateral relations, 
though during the press Q-and-A, the Ambassador was 
able to make the point that the U.S. and Turkey shared 
common values and ideals, a point that the Minister 
agreed with.  The Minister underlined the atmosphere of 
warm bilateral relations by volunteering that the 
Fulbright program in Turkey was expanding, noting that 
he would soon be going to the U.S. on a Voluntary 
Visitor program, and saying there were no tensions with 
the U.S.  Overall, the Minister's evident friendliness 
to the Ambassador, combined with the gusto with which 
he chatted with the project beneficiary mothers and the 
children, greatly added to the human interest angle for 
the press and conveyed an image of good bilateral 
relations. 
 
 
6. (SBU) As a result, there was widespread , largely 
favorable coverage, in both print and televised media. 
CNN-Turk, Channel 7, Channel D, TGRT, Channel B, and 
NTV all had footage of the classroom scene.  Channel D 
characterized the visit as the U.S. Ambassador's effort 
to improve relations despite recent tensions.  Mass- 
circulation newspapers Sabah, Hurriyet, Star, and and 
Radikal     carried photos with mostly ppositive 
headlines. 
 
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.In Contrast to Minister Atalay's Reluctance: 
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7. (SBU) The school visit had been a long time in 
coming, and GOT ministers were not always been so 
enthusiastic.  Minister of State Beshir Atalay, who has 
responsibility for the Social Risk Mitigation Project, 
had been reluctant to publicize the project, with or 
without the Ambassador.  The Minister told the 
Ambassador he did not feel it was appropriate, and the 
project managers believe the Minister is sincere that 
the reason is that Atalay believes politicians should 
not take credit for welfare payments to poor people, 
since it is the poor people's right to get state 
assistance.  In January, Atalay asked Project Director 
Yadigar Gokalp to stress to us that his reluctance to 
join in publicizing the project "not directed at 
anyone," and he directed the Ambassador to the Ministry 
of Education. 
 
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Comment: 
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7. (SBU) The Education Minister's willingness to be 
seen to be friendly with the Ambassador was probably 
helped along by his upcoming Voluntary Visitor Program 
VOLVIS in the U.S. but also by an evident new desire on 
the part of GOT officials to downplay press reports of 
problems in the bilateral relationship since Secretary 
Rice's visit.  On the same day as the school visit, the 
Chairman of the US-Turkish Friendship committee in the 
Turkish parliament, Egemen Bagis, made a speech 
asserting relations were good.  Prime Minister Erdogan 
also made public comments downplaying problems in the 
relationship. 
 
9. (SBU) Whatever the motivation for the change in 
tone, the Minister of Education seemed willing to help 
make the school visit a good news story for bilateral 
relations.  As noted in reftel, AAs noted in reftel, 
ESF funding for this kind of project can go a long way 
in helping the U.S. image. 
 
EDELMANIn addition to the Ambassador, Treasury 
Undersecretary Ibrahim Canakci, World Bank Director 
Andrew Vorkink, and Project Director Yadigar Gokalp 
also spoke at the ceremony.  In his remarks, the 
Ambassador highlighted the U.S. desire to help the 
poorest families in Turkey, and noted the U.S. interest 
in education issues and, in particular, increasing 
school enrollment rates for girls, one of the goals of 
the project.  The other speakers thanked the U.S. for 
its contribution, and used the event to help publicize 
the project itself, which is gradually increasing its 
nationwide coverage and delivery.  The project now 
reaches nearly 1.2 million beneficiaries, all from the 
poorest 6% of Turkish society. 
 
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Good Press Attendance and Coverage: 
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4. (SBU)  Due to the Embassy's and the Whether because 
of Turkish Treasury's or the Embassy's efforts to call 
in the press and as a result of or because of 
heightened interest in bilateral relations on the heels 
of the Secretary's visit, the event was well attended. 
Most major newspapers and at least one television 
station gave the signing prominent ran coverage pieces 
the following day,  about it, with some headlines 
crediting  the alluding to U.S. for  supporting  for 
the poor.  Most of the coverage was straightforward, 
with none of the misinformation and twisting and 
conspiracy theories about U.S. motives that are is 
common herein Turkey's media. 
 
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 ESF Funding Helps US Image in Turkey: 
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5. (SBU) Post believes the positive coverage, which 
"changed the subject" regarding America, and 
highlighted U.S. friendship and help to the most 
disadvantaged Turks, is important to counter anti- 
Americanism here.  Post believes that the positive 
image-building, and the usefulness of this kind of 
project justifies the relatively modest sums under 
consideration in the future for ESF in Turkey.