US embassy cable - 04ANKARA4284

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004284 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, JULY 24-26, 
2004 
 
 
THIS CABLE IS FROM AMCONSUL ADANA. 
 
1.  This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for 
July 24-26, 2004.  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.  Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, Evrensel: In Nusaybin, Mardin 
province, DEHAP member Naci Cutlu was arrested on July 
21, 2004 for attending the funeral ceremony of Ali 
Akman, a militant of the Peoples' Defense Forces (HPG), 
on May 10, 2004. Cutlu was interrogated at Mardin 
Security Directorate. The court imprisoned Cutlu for 
violating the "Assembly and Protest Marches Law." 
 
3.  Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: In regard to a recently passed 
law titled "Compensation for Losses Stemming the From 
Anti-Terror Struggle," the Bingol HRA President Ridvan 
Kizgin warned that victims should apply to HRA office 
before they applied to the courts for indemnities. 
Kizgin claimed the purpose of the law was to hinder 
people from pressing charges against the government for 
the losses they suffered during 15 years of turbulence. 
Kizgin said that in Bingol province, 17,113 persons had 
been evicted from 2,920 houses in 211 settlement units, 
which had been destroyed and burnt. Though some were 
afraid to do so, some internally displaced villagers 
filed charges with the European Human Rights Court 
(EHRC) and the EHRC found in favor of GOT 
indemnification of villagers' losses. 
 
4.  Evrensel: The Hakkari Province Jandarma team 
detonated a landmine they detected on the road between 
Yuksekova and Semdinli townships of Hakkari. 
 
5.  Hurriyet, Radikal: Mustafa Bayram, a former Van 
province lawmaker was released on bail. He had been 
arrested for an alleged raid at a police station in Van 
to kidnap his son who was involved in drug trafficking. 
 
6.  Evrensel, Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: A citizen died in 
the Sirnak State Hospital when the defibrillators did 
not operate. The NGOs in town tried to present a 
petition drawing attention to the health problem to the 
Provincial Human Rights Committee (PHRC), but the PHRC 
refused to accept it. Citizens then tried to mail 
petitions, but police detained the postmen who accepted 
the petitions for several hours. 
 
7.  Turkiye, Tercuman, Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: A group of 
PKK/Kongra Gel militants attacked the police check- 
point in the exit of Cukurca township, Hakkari 
province. One militant was killed while the others 
escaped in the dark. No GOT casualties have been 
reported. Police found 3 hand grenades, and 7 RPG-7 
bullets at the scene. 
 
8.  Yeni Safak: A poll by Pollmark company on Turkey's 
foreign policy revealed that 33% of the population 
considered the United States to be a threat to peace 
while 20% considered terror a threat. 73% of Turkish 
people are in favor of EU accession, but are not 
hopeful about getting a date for negotiations. 45% do 
not think Turkey will get a date from the EU for 
discussions. The ratio of people supporting the Prime 
Minister's reaction to Israel is 82%. 62% of the people 
believe that Israel is supporting a Kurdish State in 
Northern Iraq, and 65% believe Israel is supporting the 
PKK. 83% opposed the US troop deployment in Northern 
Iraq. 30% think an Independent Kurdish State will be 
founded in Northern Iraq, while 49% do not think so. 
 
9.  Zaman, Radikal, Bolge: The President of Harb-Is 
Union's Adana Chapter, Orhan Sener, said an arbitrator 
has been appointed to mediate negotiations between the 
workers at Incirlik Air Base and their employer. 
Collective bargaining between Harb-Is and the US 
employer had started on May 12, 2004. The sides 
undersigned a "disagreement report" on July 8. Sener 
said if an agreement could not be reached through the 
arbitrator in two weeks, Harb-Is would go on a strike. 
 
10.  Cumhuriyet, Turkiye, Bolge, Tercuman, Yeni Safak, 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, Hurriyet: Following three 
explosions at ATAS Refinery in Mersin, fire broke out 
in a tanker holding 12,000 tons of fuel. Fire fighters 
from Mersin and Adana extinguished the fire. 
 
11.  Cumhuriyet, Turkiye, Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: 
PKK/Kongra Gel militants attacked Hel Summer Resort in 
Pulumur, Tunceli province. The militants wanted to take 
Zeynel Benler (63), along with them, but killed him 
when he resisted. Benler's daughter, Sema (19), was 
wounded in the incident. GOT forces launched a large- 
scale operation in the region. 
12.  Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: All PRD and PJA (Party of 
Free Women) inmates in prisons all over Turkey will 
send the Turkish Parliament petitions advocating that 
Abdullah Ocalan be recognized as a "Public Leader." The 
inmates refused to meet with visitors for one month to 
protest the isolation in detainment of Ocalan. In 
addition, the inmates will apply for transfers to 
Imrali Island, where Ocalan is imprisoned. 
 
13.  Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: In Palu, Elazig province, a 
fight broke out between Mecit Oztekeli and Hasan 
Karabulut, a village guard. Oztekeli's mother was 
killed as she tried to protect her son when the guard 
opened fire. 
 
14.  Hurriyet: Bedri Oz, the Representative for Iraq of 
Tefron Oil Import and Export Company based in Dortyol, 
Hatay province, said due to Turkey's limitations on the 
amount of oil transported to Iraq by overland tankers 
and security considerations, his company started 
transporting oil to Iraq by railroad tankers. Oz said 
that his firm made connections for exporting 100,000 
tons two months ago, and added that Efron shipped up to 
2500 tons daily to Mosul, from where the distribution 
to destinations within Iraq was carried out by overland 
tankers. 
 
HEALTH 
 
15.  Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: According to a report by 
World Health Organization (WHO), among European and 
Asian countries, malaria is mostly seen in Turkey. Of 
9,222 malaria cases in Turkey, 8,760 are from the GAP 
region. Diyarbakir, with 4,140 cases, and Batman, with 
3,147 cases, take the lead. 
 
DEUTSCH