Cablegate: Got Offer of Assistance On Iraqi Hotels

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

UNCLAS ANKARA 003832

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/NGA - NJENSEN AND EUR/SE
DEPT PASS TO USAID FOR OFDA

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREL TU IZ
SUBJECT: GOT Offer of Assistance on Iraqi Hotels

Ref: Sirotic/IAC/OCPA Email 6/11/03

1. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.

2. (SBU) This cable contains an action request in para
5.

3. (SBU) In a June 11 meeting with Econ Counselor,
Ambassador Ahmet Okcun, MFA Coordinator for Afghanistan
and Iraq, conveyed a GOT plan to fund construction of
and equipment for 2 hospitals in Baghdad and Kirkuk,
based on an assessment done by the Turkish Red Crescent
(TRC) in a recent visit to Iraq. However, this would
not be a TRC project, but a Turkish Government project.
Okcun stated that the GOT already has the funds
allocated for this and the blueprints for construction.
Okcun stated that, for budgetary and other internal
reasons, the GOT would need to sign an MOU on these
projects, and asked that the USG advise which entity in
Iraq would be the appropriate counterpart for such an
MOU. He suggested the GOT would be pleased to work sign
an MOU with the Iraqi Red Crescent, which already has
identified a plot of land in Baghdad for one hospital.

4. (SBU) In a separate meeting the following day with
Mission Disaster Relief Officer, TRC Director General
Fatih Evren raised the Turkish offer on hospitals for
Iraq, but emphasized that MFA had the lead in
coordinating with the USG on this issue. MDRO
encouraged TRC to coordinate aid activities with the
International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent,
and asked whether TRC had done so on this offer. Evren
stated that TRC preferred to work with U.S. authorities
or with the Iraqi Red Crescent on aid, claiming that
ICRC was not forthcoming in responding to offers of
assistance from national societies outside Iraq. MDRO
suggested to Evren that TRC and/or MFA make a written
proposal on hospitals, which the Embassy could share
with appropriate Washington and Coalition Provisional
Authority staff.

5. (U) Action Request: Embassy would appreciate
Department/OCPA's thoughts on the MFA's proposal, as
well as guidance on the appropriate authorities in Iraq
with which the MFA should pursue this..
Pearson

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