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Viewing cable 06ANKARA4964, TURKEY: DONORS' ASSISTANCE TO LEBANON

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06ANKARA4964 2006-08-28 15:12 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Ankara
P 281512Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8236
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 0474
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 0084
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0841
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0607
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0279
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004964 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BRUSSELS FOR USEU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREL TU LE SW
SUBJECT: TURKEY: DONORS' ASSISTANCE TO LEBANON 
 
REF: SECSTATE 139903 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary.  At the August 31 donors meeting in 
Stockholm, Turkey will pledge assistance in the form of 
reconstruction projects, likely focused initially on the 
power sector.  The GOT is looking for projects that 
contribute to long-term growth, understanding that it is also 
important to deal with Lebanon's debt and deficit problems 
and create a macroeconomic framework conducive to private 
sector-led growth.  The Turkish private sector and NGO's are 
also interested in and well-positioned to make a 
contribution.  Turkish officials will attend a follow-on 
meeting on aid to the Palestinians, but do not believe such 
aid can be effective until Israel and the HAMAS Government 
work out some kind of modus vivendi that allows aid to be 
delivered to those in need.  End Summary. 
 
-------------- 
AID TO LEBANON 
-------------- 
 
2.  (SBU)  MFA Deputy Undersecretary Ahmet Uzumcu and 
Ambassador Koray Targay -- MFA's assistance coordinator for 
Iraq and Afghanistan who has also been asked to take on 
Lebanese assistance -- will represent Turkey at the August 31 
Lebanon Donors meeting in Stockholm.  According to Targay, 
the Council of Ministers has not yet set the dollar amount of 
Turkish assistance.  Targay said Turkey's pledge would focus 
on reconstruction in general, and probably on one or two 
infrastructure projects specifically, depending on the amount 
of funding available.  He said he was looking at power sector 
projects including repairing damaged power transmission 
lines, starting up the completed, but not operational Banyas 
natural gas pipeline from Syria, and seeing if something 
could be done to resurrect the Trans-Arabian Pipeline 
(Tapline) from Saudi Arabia.  Targay said he is looking for 
long-term projects that contribute to sustainable economic 
growth and that the counterpart for all GOT projects would be 
the Government of Lebanon.  He did not think he would have 
any trouble convincing his MFA superiors and the Prime 
Minister of the importance of funding such projects. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Targay said he understood that restructuring 
Lebanon's $38 billion official debt would also be on the 
agenda in Stockholm, with a possible follow-on meeting in 
Beirut.  Although Turkey holds a very small amount of 
bilateral claims, it would support a debt restructuring 
accompanied by a meaningful economic reform plan.  Targay 
understood that France was opposed to discussing debt in this 
forum.  He was, however, disappointed by the failure of 
previous French-led efforts to encourage sound macroeconomic 
policies. 
 
4.  (SBU)  Targay also noted that a number of Turkish NGO's, 
including the Kizilay (Red Crescent), Turkish Kidney 
Foundation, Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse) association, and the 
Istanbul Organization for International Cooperation, as well 
as the GOT's Turkish Emergency Management Agency, had 
provided emergency humanitarian assistance in the wake of the 
fighting.  Contributions from the public were still coming 
in.  The International Red Crescent Society also sent $300 
million in humanitarian relief to Lebanon using the Turkish 
port of Mersin as an operational hub.  Targay said such aid 
was provided to "Lebanese public institutions" for 
distribution to end-users.  Turkish aid is not going to 
Hizballah as such, but he thought it quite likely that some 
Hizballah-related organizations could end up benefiting from 
the assistance given the role they play in Lebanese society. 
The Turkish private sector was also actively involved in 
cleanup and initial reconstruction. 
 
------------------- 
AID TO PALESTINIANS 
------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU)  Targay will participate in a follow-on meeting on 
aid to the Palestinians organized by Sweden on September 1. 
While he believed that a "three year humanitarian assistance 
strategy" was necessary to avoid "starvation" in Gaza and a 
Palestinian exodus from Gaza and the West Bank, he stressed 
Turkey's belief that such aid could only reach the people who 
need it with Israel's active assistance.  This in turn would 
require an understanding of some sort between Israel and 
HAMAS.  Turkish assistance would only be provided under these 
circumstances. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
6.  (SBU)  Turkey's financial capacity is limited under its 
IMF program, but its geographical proximity and deep private 
sector and historical ties leave it well-placed to make a 
significant contribution to reconstruction and growth in the 
Lebanese economy.  Its own success in reforming government 
finances and spurring growth under the IMF's auspices should 
also be a positive regional example for Lebanon.  Targay said 
he understood that the United States would be represented by 
a strong delegation and that he hoped to have contact with 
the U.S. delegation, some of whom he knows from his work on 
Afghanistan and Iraq. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON