VZCZCXRO0438
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #1977/01 1020827
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120827Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4744
INFO RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0475
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0288
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0633
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0092

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001977 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL 
VIENNA FOR U.S. MISSION TO UNODC 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR EAID TU AF
SUBJECT: Project Proposal for Afghan-Turkish 
Counternarcotics Training 
 
Ref:  Ankara  1414 
 
This is an action request. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: As discussed reftel, Post, working with 
the Regional DEA office in Ankara and Kabul, has developed 
the following proposal for enhancing Turkish-Afghan 
counternarcotics cooperation. The training, to be led by 
DEA's training team, would entail bringing together Afghan 
and Turkish investigators to do case studies on joint, cross- 
border investigations, in order to build both capacity and 
Turkish-Afghan law enforcement relationships, taking 
advantage of Ankara's good training facility, and 
recognizing that Turkey is the principal transshipment point 
for Afghan-derived opiates.  End Summary. 
 
---------- 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Turkey is the single most important route for 
transshipment of opiates from Afghanistan to world markets. 
Both Turkey and Afghanistan are open to strengthened 
cooperation.  Such cooperation against cross-border cases 
would increase disruption of international traffickers' 
ability to move opiates from Afghanistan to Europe.  DEA 
cooperates extensively with Turkish law enforcement on 
counternarcotics but has been hampered in recent years by 
the absence of USG counternarcotics assistance to Turkey due 
to Leahy Amendment concerns. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In addition to reinforcing U.S. law enforcement's 
relations with Turkish law enforcement agencies, a joint 
training project would also take advantage of Ankara's 
excellent TADOC training facility, while enjoying the cost 
savings of conducting training in the region.  The project 
would build relationships between Turkish and Afghan law 
enforcement personnel, facilitating their cooperation and 
take advantage of Turkish law enforcement's relatively 
greater expertise to expose Afghan law enforcement to 
Turkish experience in counternarcotics case work. 
 
------------------- 
Project Description 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The project would entail bringing U.S.  trainers 
from DEA's Afghan Training Team to Turkey to conduct a one- 
week workshop on joint, cross-border investigations, with 
Turkish and Afghan law enforcement officers.  As the DEA 
Afghan Training Team will be in Kabul from June through 
October 2006, the cost of these trainers' travel would be 
less than if they came directly from the U.S.   DEA agents 
stationed in Ankara would also support the training, as 
would Turkish police trainers.  Trainees would consist of 
between 10-20 Afghan law enforcement personnel and 10-20 
Turkish police investigators.  The course would provide 
practical case studies of joint investigations, and enable 
participants to absorb lessons learned, share experiences 
and learn from the trainers' experience. 
 
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Funding 
------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) We estimate the total cost to be approximately 
$60,000.  This includes the trainers' and Afghan 
participants' travel and per diem, simultaneous translation 
between English and Turkish and from English to Pashto, 
lunch and coffee breaks for all participants and course 
materials and other incidental expenses.  Though we do not 
yet have a commitment from the Turkish authorities, our 
experience with TADOC suggests there would be no charge for 
the use of TADOC's training facilities, and that the Turkish 
National Police would cover out-of-town Turkish participants 
lodging and per diem. In addition to monies allocated to USG 
counternarcotics programs in Afghanistan, we note that the 
remaining balance available for Turkey counternarcotics 
programs is $57,719, and we would welcome use of a portion 
of these monies to fund a collaborative U.S.-Afghan-Turkish 
effort. 
 
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ANKARA 00001977  002 OF 002 
 
 
Goal/Performance Measures 
------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The goal of this project is to enhance the 
investigative abilities of both Turkish and Afghan 
investigators, to increase their willingness to cooperate 
internationally on joint cases, and to build relationships 
between the two countries' law enforcement agencies.  This 
would play a significant role in fostering real Turkish- 
Afghan collaboration on counternarcotics issues and toward 
stemming the trafficking of Afghan drugs through their 
country.  A secondary goal would be to show our support for 
Turkish law enforcement's counternarcotics efforts in order 
to help sustain their good cooperation with U.S. law 
enforcement. 
 
-------------- 
Sustainability 
-------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) DEA-sponsored courses promote extended interaction 
with DEA Special Agents in the region which facilitates 
later contact by DEA agents based in Turkey on joint 
investigations, both with DEA and with Afghanistan.  Turkish 
law enforcement in general, and the Turkish National Police 
in particular, have greatly strengthened the effectiveness 
of their efforts against narcotics trafficking. This means 
that they make good use of a training such as the proposed 
project, integrating the skills learned into an existing, 
reasonably effective framework.  It would also improve their 
cooperation with Afghan counterparts through both the skills 
learned and the relationships forged.  On the Afghan side, 
where there is a tremendous need for improved investigative 
skills, the training will be a major boost to both the 
Afghans skills and to the likelihood of them cooperating 
internationally on cross-border cases. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Post has not yet consulted with Turkish law 
enforcement on this proposal and would appreciate the 
Department's feedback before doing so. 
 
Wilson