US embassy cable - 02ANKARA8695

UNCLAS ANKARA 008695 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EB/IFD/ODF, SA/RA, EUR/SE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ECON, EFIN, PREL, AF, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKS WILL ATTEND BONN AFGHAN RECONSTRUCTION 
CONFERENCE 
 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 239799 
     B. ANKARA 8150 
 
 
1.  (U) Turkey will be represented at the Bonn-Petersberg 
conference on Afghanistan Reconstruction by Ambassador 
Aydemir Erman, the MFA Deputy U/S and Coordinator for 
Afghanistan, and Ambassador Okcun, the MFA Coordinator for 
Afghanistan Reconstruction.  Embassy provided Ref A talking 
points on 11/25 and met with Ambassador Okcun on 11/26. 
 
 
2.  (U) Okcun advised that Turkey's completed reconstruction 
projects now total $2.8 million, up from $1.8 million 
reported in Ref B.  The GOT has also received commitments of 
$1.5 million for next year and has set aside another $4.5 
million for possible future use. 
 
 
3.  (U) Turkey intends to focus its reconstruction efforts in 
four areas:  Healthcare, Training, Agriculture and 
soon-to-start Gender Issues projects, such as those that 
address women and children's issues.  Completed projects 
breakdown as follows: 
 
 
-- $ 314,000 for medicine, medical supplies and equipment, 
cash assistance to hospitals; 
-- $ 1,760,000 for training of doctors, diplomats, water 
experts, teachers; 
-- $ 200,000 for infrastructure (telephone network 
installation); 
-- $ 23,800 for babyfood; 
-- $ 608,936 cash to Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund 
(ARTF) and early support to the Afghanistan Interim Authority 
Fund (AIAF). 
 
 
-- Other projects in agriculture and health are underway and 
not calculated above. Citing a statistic that more than 
50,000 families in Kabul depend for their survival on the 
income of children, Okcun said that Turkey's first Gender 
Issues project would be to establish a multi-purpose 
community center for vocational training.  Four hundred (400) 
sewing machines and 75 small printing presses are squirreled 
away for vocational training for women at that as yet 
unconstructed center. 
 
 
4.  (SBU) Okcun noted that the U.S. is constructing a 
healthcare facility in Menkucek (ph) and advised that Turkey 
is more than willing to train Afghan medical professionals to 
staff it or to assist USG in anyway. 
 
 
5.  (U) Minimize considered. 
DEUTSCH