VZCZCXRO8805
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0325/01 0461311
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151311Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0968
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0018
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
INFO RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2125
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0963
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1653
RUEHUNV/UNVIE VIENNA AU

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000325 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL, EUR/SE, SA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR EAID KPAO TU
SUBJECT: SUCCESS STORY - AFGHAN-TURKISH COUNTERNAROCTICS TRAINING 
 
Ref: A) 2006 Ankara 6248, B) 2006 Ankara 1414, 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Post organized an INL-funded, DEA-run 
counternarcotics training program for Afghan and Turkish 
counternarcotics supervisory agents in Ankara January 29-February 2. 
 The course advanced multiple USG goals at very modest cost: 
bringing together Afghan and Turkish officials to enhance 
cross-border cooperation against key international drug production 
and traffiy 
over the language used in Leahy Amendment certificaions.  End 
Summary. 
 
 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Afghans, Turks and Americans Praise Training 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Using the remainder of INL counternarcotics (INCLE) funds 
allocated to Turkey, Embassy Ankara organized with DEA and the 
Turkish International Academy Against Organized Crime (TADOC) a 
5-day Drug Unit Commander's Course for supervisory Afghan and 
Turkish counternarcotics agents.   The course included sessions on 
leadership, managing informants, using wiretaps, managing cases and 
other investigative techniques.  The course took place January 
29-February 2 at TADOC in Ankara.  A DEA international training team 
from Washington conducted the course, which included 13 Afghan and 9 
Turkish participants.  INL/Kabul provided additional funding to 
enable all 13 Afghans to travel to Ankara, since the remaining 
Turkey funds were not sufficient.  TADOC -- which operates under the 
umbrella of the Turkish National Police but with significant UNODC 
and other international support -- provided the training facility, 
low-cost lodging and meals for the Afghan participants and funded 
the Turkish participants' lodging and meals.  The Turkish 
participants were mostly commanders of counter-narcotics police 
units from provincial police headquarters around Turkey.   The 
Afghans were all from the Narcotics Interdiction Unit. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The course received warm praise from the participants, as 
well as from Turkish police officials and Afghan diplomats in 
Ankara.  The Afghan Ambassador wrote the Embassy to thank us for the 
program: "It is good for Afghanistan , US , Turkey and the world. 
Narcotics  and terrorism are twin monsters, if not stopped, destroy 
themselves and the world...These kinds of joint   training programs 
specially with the help of  US and Turks  whom Afghans trust would 
bring , inshaala , more  positive results."  The senior Afghan 
participant in the training said that "thank you" was inadequate to 
convey his appreciation for USG assistance to his country and his 
organization. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On the Turkish side, former foreign minister and NATO Rep 
in Afghanistan Hikmet Cetin attended the Embassy's reception in 
honor of the training.  Ahmet Pek, the Chief of the Turkish National 
Police's Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Division, both privately 
and in his remarks at the closing ceremony stressed the importance 
of fighting narcotics trafficking.  Pek noted that terrorist groups, 
 combined. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Ambassador's Speech Makes the News 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ambassador Wilson in his remarks at the closing ceremony, 
in addition to stressing the importance of combating narcotics, 
linked the training to U.S. and Turkish support for Afghanistan. 
Mention of the Ambassador's remarks (posted on the Embassy's web 
site) also made it into the Turkish press.  This press coverage was 
a welcome change from the drumbeat of anti-American stories that 
tend to dominate Turkish press coverage of the U.S. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Reviving U.S. Counternarcotics Assistance to Turkey 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
 
ANKARA 00000325  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Post hopes to build on the success of this program, and on 
the inclusion of funding for INCLE programs in the Administration's 
FY08 budget request, to work with INL and the Turkish Government to 
find a way to restore counternarcotics cooperation programs in 
Turkey.  Last week's training was funded from the residual of the 
FY99 allocation to Turkey, the last year in which Turkey was 
allocated INCLE funds.  The principal obstacle to allocations since 
then has been Turkey's refusal to sign a blanket "letter of 
agreement" certifying that no program beneficiary is a human rights 
violator.  Post believes that given the importance of Turkey as a 
transit country for Afghan narcotics, the professionalism of Turkish 
anti-narcotics police, and the excellent cooperation with U.S. 
counterparts, there is room for substantial additional cooperation 
that would advance the U.S. effort to interdict global narcotics 
flows.  Post looks forward to working with INL to identify an 
approach that would satisfy U.S. law and also make possible the type 
of work we can do here. 
 
Wilson