VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #4630 0751600
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161542Z MAR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0000

UNCLAS STATE 024630 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNNP PARM PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: REQUEST TO RECEIVE U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO DISCUSS 
POSSIBLE TURKISH ASSISTANCE TO ANTI-NUCLEAR SMUGGLING 
PROJECTS IN THE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request for Embassy Ankara.  Please 
see paragraph 4. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: U.S. Negotiator for Nuclear Security and 
Dismantlement Michael Stafford, Coordinator of the Nuclear 
Smuggling Outreach Initiative (NSOI), is seeking to meet with 
relevant Turkish officials to present for their consideration 
several NSOI-developed assistance projects that the 
Government of Turkey (GOT) could potentially be interested in 
supporting.  NSOI's general approach is to work with the 
international community of donors to seek support for various 
assistance projects to help the countries that NSOI has 
engaged improve their ability to counter the nuclear 
smuggling threat.  The GOT could play an important role in 
this endeavor given its impressive experience and 
capabilities in several areas.  (Additional information on 
these projects is in para 3).  Washington seeks Embassy 
Ankara's assistance in conveying the points enumerated in 
para 4 to solicit the GOT's willingness to receive Mr. 
Stafford to discuss several projects assisting countries in 
the Caucasus or Central Asia that Turkey co 
uld potentially support.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3. (SBU) BACKGROUND:  In the September 2008 Export Control 
and Related Border Security and Nonproliferation discussions 
in Ankara, GOT representatives spoke positively about the 
idea of sharing Turkey's experience with other countries in 
the region, but noted that the GOT was still in the process 
of determining specific priorities.  The Nuclear Smuggling 
Outreach Initiative (NSOI) has worked with several countries 
in the region to develop joint action plans highlighting 
specific steps that these countries can take to improve their 
capabilities to combat nuclear smuggling, as well as joint 
lists of assistance projects to help these countries 
implement some of these steps that they cannot complete on 
their own.  The NSOI team is actively seeking U.S. and 
international assistance providers to contribute to these 
projects.  There are several projects to which we believe the 
GOT could make a valuable contribution.  For example, the 
U.S. and several other international donors have made 
substantial pledges to suppor 
t Georgia in the wake of the August 2008 conflict.  Projects 
that would complement existing U.S. and international 
assistance to Georgia include debt relief for the Georgian 
Coast Guard and assistance for monitoring Georgia's green 
borders (those areas between established border crossings). 
In Kazakhstan, Turkey could contribute to an NSOI-developed 
project on improving control and accounting of radioactive 
materials or a project on securing the green border areas. 
In the near future, NSOI expects to also have projects in 
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan that Turkey might be 
interested in supporting. 
 
¶4. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST FOR EMBASSY ANKARA: Washington 
requests that Embassy Ankara convey the following points to 
the appropriate interlocutors within the Government of Turkey 
(GOT): 
 
Begin points: 
 
--In our September nonproliferation discussions, various 
Turkish agencies highlighted Turkey's substantial 
capabilities in the areas of export control, border security, 
and maritime security.  Your government also noted several 
examples where you are sharing your experience to improve the 
capabilities of neighboring countries. 
 
--The United States has also been working cooperatively with 
many of the countries in the region to improve border 
security and combat nuclear smuggling.  Given Turkey's 
impressive capabilities and experience, the United States 
believes that other countries in the region could benefit 
significantly from further Turkish assistance. 
 
--Our government has some ideas we would like to share with 
you in this regard. 
 
--To this end, U.S. Negotiator for Nuclear Security and 
Dismantlement Michael Stafford would like to meet with 
appropriate officials in your government to present several 
possible areas where the Government of Turkey (GOT) might 
consider contributing to enhancing the capabilities of 
neighboring countries in the Caucasus or Central Asia to 
combat the smuggling of nuclear and radioactive materials. 
 
--Mr. Stafford leads the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach 
Initiative (NSOI) and has engaged in similar discussions with 
numerous potential donor countries.  Thus far, eight 
countries, the European Union, the International Atomic 
Energy Agency (IAEA), and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime 
(UNODC) are supporting various assistance projects developed 
by NSOI. 
 
--We would like to inquire whether the GOT would be willing 
to host Mr. Stafford for this discussion. 
 
--We want to emphasize that agreeing to hear Mr. Stafford's 
presentation will in no way obligate your government to 
support any of these projects.  We ask only that you hear him 
out and then subsequently consider whether the GOT would like 
to support any of the projects he presents. 
 
--One of the countries that we believe would benefit from 
additional Turkish help is Georgia.  We understand that 
Turkey is already providing some assistance to help Georgia 
improve its border security.  We would be interested in 
learning more about Turkey's assistance to Georgia and any 
existing plans for expanding that assistance.  We developed a 
list of anti-nuclear smuggling assistance projects with the 
Government of Georgia (GOG) in 2007, and we recently agreed 
with it on a revised list of projects to reflect new needs 
that arose as a result of the August 2008 conflict.  If 
Turkey is interested in expanding its assistance to Georgia, 
we would like to discuss with you some of these projects in 
more depth. 
 
--We also have specific projects in Kazakhstan that could 
benefit from expertise and assistance from Turkey, and expect 
in the near future to have projects in Tajikistan, 
Afghanistan, and Azerbaijan that Turkey may be interested in 
supporting. 
 
--All of these projects that we would like to discuss with 
you were developed in close partnership with the governments 
of these countries. 
 
--We hope you can agree to host this discussion with Mr. 
Stafford at your earliest convenience.  If you are prepared 
at this point to suggest dates when this discussion could 
occur, we would welcome any feedback that we could take back 
to Washington. 
 
 
IF ASKED WHY THE UNITED STATES IS MAKING THESE REQUESTS 
RATHER THAN THE INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES: 
 
--The projects Mr. Stafford wishes to discuss with you were 
developed in an extensive series of discussions with the 
relevant partner governments aimed at identifying agreed 
priorities. 
 
--As part of these discussions, our partners agreed that it 
would generally be more effective and efficient for the 
United States to take the lead in presenting these priority 
projects to prospective donors and in coordinating among 
those donors. 
 
--One of the first questions that many prospective donors ask 
is, "How do these projects fit with existing U.S. 
assistance?"  All of the projects we present to prospective 
donors have been fully vetted, not only with the partner 
government, but also with the U.S. assistance community, in 
order to ensure that they will efficiently complement 
existing U.S. efforts.  We also take into account ongoing 
international assistance to avoid duplication and maximize 
the synergy of all relevant efforts. 
 
End points. 
 
 
¶5.  (U) Department greatly appreciates Post's assistance. 
Please slug responses for ISN/WMDT, ISN/ECC, and EUR/SE. 
 
¶6.  (U) Department Point of Contact:  Daniela Carcani 
(CarcaniD@state.gov), phone 202-736-4917. 
CLINTON