US embassy cable - 05ADANA27

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000027 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 2, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 2, 
2005.  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 
 
YENI SAFAK / CUMHURIYET:        U.S. Under-Secretary of Defense 
Douglas Feith, during his visit to Turkey, expressed that the 
new U.S. strategy focuses on "quickness" and "flexibility", and 
may necessitate improvements to agreements implemented together 
with allies.  Feith also said the U.S. expects both sides to 
agree upon a "reasonable" regulation of U.S. use of Incirlik as 
a logistical base. 
 
VAKIT / CUMHURIYET:     Difficult conditions continue in Hakkari 
and people are suffering the after-effects of the earthquake 
that hit the city last week. Many families, scared of going into 
homes still at risk of collapsing, have been living in 20 tents 
set up in the city football stadium. Yesterday's rainfall melted 
the snow on the ground and the tents were flooded with 
rainwater. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     Ridvan Kizgin, Chairperson of the Bingol Human 
Rights Association, blames governmental officials for not taking 
effective precautions against abandoned mines and explosives in 
the region.  Such explosives have killed 33 and wounded 48 
people in Bingol in the last 12 years.  Children under 15 years 
of age are particularly vulnerable to these hazards. 
 
CUMHURIYET:  Cities that are most involved with the street 
children issue will be studied closely by the Turkish 
Parliament's newly established Commission for Conducting Surveys 
on Street Children.  The Commission, currently visiting 
Diyarbakir, has recently completed an information gathering 
process using central resources, and has now set out to study 
cities fisthand to see about ways to deal with the issue on the 
local level. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE / ZAMAN / TURKIYE /: 
The first Agricultural Workers' Congress was held in Adana 
yesterday.  In the opening speeches, delegates blamed MPs for 
their lack of attention to this congress, which is aiming to 
identify and address agricultural workers' problems.  Zaman, 
however, criticized the Congress for being organized and 
attended by only unions affiliated with KESK (Confederation of 
Public Employees' Unions), with sparse participation by 
temporary agricultural workers. According to Ozgur Gundem, it 
was mainly people who were forced to migrate from their 
villages, and who were thus exposed to unfair conditions as 
field workers, who sought solutions to their problems in this 
Congress. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM / VAKIT:  In Haskoy, Mus province, the discovery of 
"flammable water" has made people happy. According to the 
villagers' estimations, a mixture of what is most probably 
natural gas with the water rendered the latter combustible.  The 
people of Haskoy have been taking advantage of this phenomenon 
in their daily work and activities related to heating and 
cooking. 
 
BOLGE / TURKIYE: Adana's Association for Nature and Rural 
Development, in coordination with the Directorate of 
Conservation of Nature and Natural Parks, has developed a 
"National Action Plan for the Bustard," which has been submitted 
for inclusion in an EU program.  (Note:  The Great Bustard (Otis 
tarda) is reportedly one of Europe's largest, and most 
impressive, birds.  End note.)  The EU program grants financial 
support up to 650,000 Euros to protect the species, mainly 
through educating farmers about the benefits of these birds 
against harmful insects in fields.  This species is highly 
vulnerable to extinction in Turkey. 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
1.      OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / SABAH (GUNEY): In Mersin, many 
people demonstrated against the decision to privatize that 
city's port.  Protesting the privatization process, 400 members 
of Liman-Is (Union of Ports), Mersin Branch, carried banners 
reading, "We will not let the ports be sold," "Ports belong to 
the people," and "Government, Resign." 
 
2.      OZGUR GUNDEM: The scope of border trade conducted between 
Iran and Turkey at the Yuksekova - Esendere border gate in 
Hakkari was (allegedly) limited by sanctions in 1994, on the 
grounds that the money earned was being spent for the illegal 
PKK activities.  Therefore, local people's economic conditions 
have declined since that time. 
 
 
REID