US embassy cable - 03ADANA105

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 0105 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
APRIL 14, 2003 
 
 
1.  This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for April 14, 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.  Evrensel/Bolge: The US and its collaborators 
were condemned at a "Today Iraq, Tomorrow Turkey" 
protest meeting in Adana yesterday. Carrying 
banners and shouting slogans, approximately one 
thousand people gathered at  Railway Station 
Square. The head of the organizing committee -- 
an employee of Radio Arkadas, Mehmet Eraslan -- 
called out to everybody to resist against 
oppression. He added that everybody was watching 
the occupation from live TV programs and the 
whole world saw Bush's and the US's true face. 
Journalists, such as Abdurrahman Dilipak and 
Sanar Yurdatapan, and the President of the 
International Assistance Foundation, Bulent 
Yildirim, also participated. 
 
 
3.  Sabah/Hurriyet: Ankara was comforted as 
diplomatic and military sources in Iraq reported 
that there were no systematic attacks against 
Turkomen in Kirkuk. The reports by Turkish 
liaison officers verified that there had been 
some individual attacks but attributed that to 
the prevailing disorder in the country. The 
Turkish officers talking to locals in Kirkuk and 
Mosul reported that most of the property-deed 
records were intact, as only some had been 
damaged due to looting. The report emphasized 
that the majority of the peshmergas in Kirkuk had 
pulled out but some had stayed in town under the 
US forces' control to provide security. The PUK 
officials ensured they would withdraw the rest of 
their forces as more US units arrived in the 
town. On the other hand, an armed attack killing 
one child and wounding four adults was launched 
yesterday evening at the Turkomen Front in 
Kirkuk, which blamed PUK peshmergas for it. 
 
 
4.  Sabah/Dunya: While the PUK leader, Celal 
Talabani, warned neighboring countries not to 
intervene in their domestic affairs, the KDP 
leader, Barzani, demanded that Turkey should give 
up claims to ownership of the oil fields. It is 
reported by IRNA (Iranian News Agency) that at a 
Kirkuk meeting the previous day -- attended by 
Kurdish, Arab, Turkomen, and Assyrian 
representatives - Talabani said all these 
communities lived in Kirkuk in a peaceful 
atmosphere. Barzani stated that KDP respected all 
the accords signed with the coalition forces and 
the Iraqi Opposition. 
 
 
5.  Evrensel: The body of Murat Ekinci, 22, who 
was doing his military service in the 8th Commando 
Unit of the 3rd Mountain and Commando Battalion in 
Semdinli (Hakkari) was returned to his family in 
Diyarbakir for burial. A military officer calling 
the Ekinci family on April 10 told them that 
their son was wounded in an accident but he was 
in good health. Nevzat Ekinci who called the 8th 
Commando Unit to find out more about his 
brother's condition was told by another officer 
that his brother had passed away because of 
committing suicide, and expressed his 
condolences. The military officials told the 
Ekinci family that the dead body would be flown 
by helicopter to Diyarbakir the same night, and 
there was no need for the family to go all the 
way to Hakkari. The family was told next morning 
that the corpse had been dispatched by land 
transport. Nevzat Ekinci said the request for 
conducting an autopsy on the body was refused by 
military officials, on the grounds that they 
already had run the autopsy and the deceased was 
ready for burial. The family was not allowed to 
see even the face of the dead body. Nevzat Ekinci 
said his family demanded legal assistance from 
HRA's Chapter in Diyarbakir for a determination 
whether his brother had committed suicide or been 
murdered. 
 
 
6.  Evrensel: In order to investigate an April 5 
explosion that killed two persons in Esenyamac 
(Baskale, Van Province), a delegation made up of 
lawyers and human rights advocates called on 
Baskale's Chief Public Prosecutor and Sub- 
governor yesterday. The delegation will start is 
investigation in the village today. 
 
 
7.  Milliyet/Turkiye: At the Commando Battalion 
in Palu (Elazig), a commando private who went 
insane killed two soldiers and wounded two others 
with whom he had had a quarrel about the duty 
roster. 
 
 
8.  Evrensel: The Adana Cukurova University 
students who boycotted their classes on March 21 
to protest US killing of Iraqi people are being 
interrogated by the university. Some 40 students 
have been interrogated by the university 
administration as of April 4. 
 
 
ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 
 
 
9.  Turkiye: The EU and Turkey's Merchants and 
Craftsmen Confederation has started the "Women 
Entrepreneur Support" project. It is gathered 
that five centers have been opened nationwide in 
Ankara, Bursa, Corum, Denizli, and Mersin. The 
aim of the project -- initiated with EU one 
million in February 2003 -- is to provide 
training and consultancy to  women and thus 
support women's' entrepreneurship in the 
selected towns.  The project aims to strengthen 
women's status in the society and their role in 
developing investment. 
 
 
10.  Turkiye/Bolge: A 90-person Trade Delegation 
that visited Athens and Thessaloniki announced 
that their visit was a success, and it is 
reported that many of them have already made 
business connections. The President of the 
Chamber of Industry of Adana, Umit Ozgumus, 
announced that they achieved their goals with the 
visit to Greece, during which they had the 
opportunity to meet with hundreds of Greek 
companies on a one-to-one basis. Ozgumus said, 
taking the advantage of proximity, they could 
easily increase their annual volume of trade with 
Greece from existing USD 6 million to USD 60 
million in a short period of time. 
HOLTZ