US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2191

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, TU, KDEM 
SUBJECT: TURKISH MFA, NGOS PLAN ISTANBUL DEMOCRACY 
ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE MEETING 
 
REF: STATE 64116 
 
1.  This is a joint Embassy Ankara/ConGen Istanbul message. 
 
2.  Summary: Turkish MFA officials, its lead NGO partner in 
the Democracy Assistance Dialogue (DAD) TESEV, and Turkish 
women's NGO representatives met on April 10 to begin planning 
for a June DAD conference in Istanbul focusing on women. 
They discussed possible subject areas, including violence 
against women, and tentatively set June 20-21 as the dates 
for the conference. Several NGO participants questioned 
holding the conference under BMENAI auspices, but 
participated positively after explanations about BMENAI and 
Turkey's role in it. TESEV expects between 70 to 100 
attendees from BMENAI countries, Europe and the U.S.. The 
three DAD partner country NGOs have applied for funding for a 
MEPI grant for follow-on activities. End Summary. 
 
Planning Meeting Overcomes NGOs' Doubts 
--------------------------------------- 
 
3.  According to MFA Policy Planning Department Head Tezel, 
several NGOs questioned holding the conference under BMENAI 
auspices.  Tezel told us MFA officials explained that Turkey 
shares the BMENAI's vision of reform, but the comments 
suggest a continuing need for the MFA and lead NGO partner 
TESEV (Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation) to 
continue explaining BMENAI and why Turkey supports it.  The 
MFA and TESEV are considering meeting again with Turkish NGOs 
before June to do that.  At the end of the meeting, Tezel 
requested that we keep reinforcing with other BMENAI partner 
and regional countries that Turkey is a partner, not a target 
country. 
 
4.  TESEV program officers Sanem Guner and Sabiha Gundogar 
told Istanbul poloffs that MFA BMENAI Coordinator Ambassador 
Orhun chaired the meeting.  Orhun explained the origins of 
BMENAI and Turkey's role as a DAD co-sponsor with Italy and 
Yemen.  In addition to TESEV, 20 directors of Turkey's most 
influential women's NGOs attended the April 10 meeting. Guner 
and Gundogar commented that, due to negative Turkish media 
coverage of BMENAI, the NGO representatives appeared unclear 
about their DAD role even after Orhun's speech. 
 
5.  However, the NGO representatives attitudes warmed after 
the address of Professor Yesim Arat of Bogazici University. 
Arat explained why she was involved in the project, 
emphasizing that Turkish women should share their experience 
of democracy with women of other Muslim majority population 
countries in the region, and could also learn new methods of 
democracy. Arat stressed the importance of including in the 
June meeting women in the Middle East who are respected, 
adding that it would not be useful to invite women who are 
marginalized or in exile. 
 
6.  Following Arat's speech, the NGO leaders began to 
participate more actively in the meeting, sharing issues and 
making concrete suggestions for themes and developing a 
preliminary agenda. Guner and Gundogar agreed that by the end 
of the day, the NGO participants were positive about the 
seminar and their role in it. 
 
Organizers Expect 70-100 
------------------------ 
 
7.  Guner and Gundogar expect about 70-100 people at the June 
meeting.  Invitees from BMENAI countries, the U.S. and Europe 
will include officials. academics, NGOs and women activists. 
Leaders of the Italian and Yemeni NGOs who are working with 
TESEV on the DAD project, No Peace without Justice (Italy) 
and the Human Rights Training Information Center (Yemen) will 
attend, as well as a representative from the National 
Endowment for Democracy.  All civilian participants will be 
funded by TESEV. 
 
8.  TESEV raised in the April 10 planning meeting the 
intention to make the June 20-21 seminar the first step in a 
long-term process of networking and building consciousness 
about the DAD.  Among the suggestions discussed were 
developing a website as well as forming an e-mail group. 
TESEV's goal is for Turkish women and other women working on 
women's rights in the Middle East and North Africa to take 
control of the project, so that communication and action will 
continue after the June meeting. 
 
Long-Term Funding 
----------------- 
 
9.  Tezel continues to tell us that there are no problems 
funding the Istanbul conference.  However, both Tezel and 
TESEV program officers note that funding for the long-term is 
still uncertain. The lead DAD NGO, the Italian "No Peace 
without Justice," along with TESEV and the Yemeni NGO, have 
applied to MEPI for a USD 900,000 grant to develop future 
programs and regional activities for the DAD.  MEPI would 
fund program activities and the Italian government would 
match funds for other expenses, according to Guner and 
Gundogar.  They expect to learn of the award in the next two 
months. 
 
Algiers Literacy Workshop 
------------------------- 
 
10.  Turkey will send one education expert to the April 24-26 
Algiers Literacy Workshop (reftel); a representative from 
Turkey's Embassy in Algiers will also attend.  Tezel told us 
Turkey is considering at but has not yet decided upon other 
BMENAI efforts to which it can contribute. 
EDELMAN