Cablegate: Turkish Red Crescent Travel to Iraq to Explore

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS ANKARA 003306

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM/ANE, EUR/SE AND NEA/NGA
DEPT PASS USAID FOR DHCA/OFDA
EUCOM FOR JE, JR, J5, SOJ7 AND POLAD
GENEVA FOR RMA
CENTCOM FOR J3, J5 AND POLAD
KUWAIT FOR HOC AND MDRO

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID IZ TU
SUBJECT: Turkish Red Crescent Travel to Iraq to Explore
Adopting a Hospital

Ref: State 108198

1. (U) MFA Ambassador for Iraq Reconstruction Issues Ahmed
Rifat Okcun called in Econ Counselor April 21 on Turkish
Red Crescent (TRC) plans to visit Iraq to discuss
assistance for hospitals with the Iraqi Red Crescent. MFA
Head of Department for Multilateral Political
Organizations Feza Ozturk and Mission Disaster Relief
Officer (MDRO) also attended the meeting.

2. (SBU) Referring to reftel demarche on "adopting" Iraqi
hospitals, Okcun stated that TRC would like to assist two
small hospitals (not further identified) in Kirkuk and
Baghdad by providing repairs, new equipment and several
doctors and nurses for up to one year. The Turkish
Ministries of Health and Labor would provide the staff and
equipment. TRC intends to send a 12-person delegation to
Iraq to discuss needs, but would not deliver supplies or
equipment at this time. The group will be led by TRC
Disaster Affairs Director Omer Tasli and will include Dr.
Cevdet Erdol, an Ak Party MP (travelling as a medical
professional, rather than a politician, according to
Okcun). The group includes one GOT employee, a
construction expert from the Public Works Ministry.

3. (SBU) In a conference call with Okcun during the
meeting, TRC Director General Fatih Evren told us that TRC
intended to cross the Habur Gate into Iraq on May 23 and
to spend approximately three days each in Kirkuk and
Baghdad, with a brief stop in Mosul as well. MDRO advised
TRC and MFA that the HOC should be notified 96 hours in
advance of any movements by humanitarian organizations.
TRC and MFA agreed to postpone the visit until May 26 and
to provide further details of the delegation's itinerary
to MDRO. Embassy will provide delegation details by fax
to the Kuwait Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC).

4. (SBU) Ozturk said that the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) has not been informed of this trip,
but that TRC would brief ICRC, MFA and the Embassy after
the return of the delegation.
Pearson

© Scoop Media