US embassy cable - 03ANKARA3832

UNCLAS ANKARA 003832 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/NGA - NJENSEN AND EUR/SE 
DEPT PASS TO USAID FOR OFDA 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT:  GOT Offer of Assistance on Iraqi Hotels 
 
Ref:  Sirotic/IAC/OCPA Email 6/11/03 
 
 
1.   (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
 
 
2.   (SBU) This cable contains an action request in para 
5. 
 
 
3.   (SBU) In a June 11 meeting with Econ Counselor, 
Ambassador Ahmet Okcun, MFA Coordinator for Afghanistan 
and Iraq, conveyed a GOT plan to fund construction of 
and equipment for 2 hospitals in Baghdad and Kirkuk, 
based on an assessment done by the Turkish Red Crescent 
(TRC) in a recent visit to Iraq.  However, this would 
not be a TRC project, but a Turkish Government project. 
Okcun stated that the GOT already has the funds 
allocated for this and the blueprints for construction. 
Okcun stated that, for budgetary and other internal 
reasons, the GOT would need to sign an MOU on these 
projects, and asked that the USG advise which entity in 
Iraq would be the  appropriate counterpart for such an 
MOU.  He suggested the GOT would be pleased to work sign 
an MOU with the Iraqi Red Crescent, which already has 
identified a plot of land in Baghdad for one hospital. 
 
 
4. (SBU) In a separate meeting the following day with 
Mission Disaster Relief Officer, TRC Director General 
Fatih Evren raised the Turkish offer on hospitals for 
Iraq, but emphasized that MFA had the lead in 
coordinating with the USG on this issue.  MDRO 
encouraged TRC to coordinate aid activities with the 
International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent, 
and asked whether TRC had done so on this offer.  Evren 
stated that TRC preferred to work with U.S. authorities 
or with the Iraqi Red Crescent on aid, claiming that 
ICRC was not forthcoming in responding to offers of 
assistance from national societies outside Iraq.  MDRO 
suggested to Evren that TRC and/or MFA make a written 
proposal on hospitals, which the Embassy could share 
with appropriate Washington and Coalition Provisional 
Authority staff. 
 
 
5. (U) Action Request:  Embassy would appreciate 
Department/OCPA's thoughts on the MFA's proposal, as 
well as guidance on the appropriate authorities in Iraq 
with which the MFA should pursue this.. 
Pearson