US embassy cable - 03ADANA230

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0230 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          SEPTEMBER 02, 2003 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for September 02, 2003.  Please note that 
Turkish press reports often contain errors or 
exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch 
for the accuracy of the reports summarized 
here. 
 
 
POLITICAL, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
 
2. Milliyet/Evrensel/Cumhuriyet: 2138 persons 
applied to benefit from the Reintegration Law 
which aims to bring active members of the 
terrorist organizations committing crimes 
against the state from the mountains. 1507 
inmates applied from prisons to benefit from 
the law that came into force on August 6. The 
number of those who applied at their own will 
from the rural remained at 211. The breakdown 
of the applicants from prisons are as 
follows:PKK/KADEK members:1169; Hizbullah: 338; 
DHKP/C: 22; Hizb-ut Tahrir: 28; TKP/ML: - 
TIKKO: 26; Dev-Sol: 22 Tikko: 41; and Other 
Organization Members: 240. 
 
 
3. Sabah/Evrensel: Unlike in the past, the 
Governorate of Diyarbakir granted permission to 
celebrate September 1 World Peace Day in 
Diyarbakir. The meeting which was organized by 
the Democracy Platform and the leadership of 
DEHAP, turned into a festival of support for 
Abdullah Ocalan. The crowd frequently shouted 
pro-Ocalan slogans. A big banner, written in 
Kurdish and Turkish, carrying one of Ataturk's 
statements saying "Peace at Home, Peace in the 
World" was arrayed in the meeting square. 
 
 
4. Turkiye: The mysterious dead body of a young 
man, 24, was found on a heap of dirt in a 
cemetery in Kiziltepe of Mardin. The victim was 
shot to death in the skull. The police started 
an investigation. 
 
 
5. Sabah' Guney Supplement: ANAP and DYP 
Provincial Chairmen stated that they would 
jointly nominate the current mayor of Adana, 
Aytac Durak, as their mayoral candidate for 
Adana in the upcoming local elections. Both 
parties were unable to pass ten percent 
national bar in November 2002 General 
Elections. 
 
 
6. Turkiye: Six persons suspected of having 
contracted anthrax in Catak, Van province, were 
sent to the Research Hospital of  Centennial 
University in Van. Innoculations started in the 
villages and hamlets where anthrax has been 
reported. 
 
 
ECONOMIC 
 
 
7. Turkiye: Eleven workers at the Uzan Group 
affiliated cement factories in Gaziantep and 
Sanliurfa claimed that they were terminated 
from their positions solely for being members 
of a labor union. In their press announcement 
in a park, the workers claimed that about one 
hundred workers were registered with the labor 
union, and the factory's management pressured 
the workers not to become members of the union. 
 
 
8. Dunya/Zaman: The Young Businessmen Associations 
in Iskenderun, Hatay, Gaziantep, Siirt, Mardin, 
Diyarbakir, Cukurova, Adana, and Mersin merged, 
forming the South and Southeastern Young 
Businessmen Federation. After formation of the 
business federations in other regions by the 
end of October, the Young Businessmen 
Confedaration of Turkey will be formed. 
 
 
TOURISM and CULTURE 
 
 
9. Hurriyet: David Packard is going to host an 
exhibition in Istanbul in 2004 of Objects Found 
in Zeugma, Gaziantep province. David Packard 
had donated USD 5 million for excavations in 
Zeugma and has suspended donating USD 100 
million for the excavations that would be 
carried out for ten years because of a dispute 
with the Turkish Cultural Ministry over the 
issue. 
 
 
10. Zaman: Because of lack of funds, excavations 
at Hasankeyf, Batman province, have been 
halted. The head of the excavation team, Prof. 
Dr. Olus Arik said they were expecting to carry 
out their excavations for two or three more 
months, but they had to stop their operations 
due to  lack of funds. 
REID