US embassy cable - 03ADANA112

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0112 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          APRIL 17, 2003 
 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for April 17, 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 
 
 
Radikal: In response to what the fate of the US 
military presence in Saudi Arabia and Turkey 
would be as there was no more need for no flight 
zones in southern and northern Iraq, US Defense 
Secretary Rumsfeld, declared that together with 
 
SIPDIS 
Ankara, the mission of ONW, and the military 
presence previously in Turkey for that objective 
had been deployed elsewhere. 
 
 
Cumhuriyet/Milli Gazete: The US is continuing to 
remove military vehicles and equipment deployed 
at Iskenderun port. It is reported that the 
movement of the soldiers and equipment from 
Turkey would be completed by April 23. After 
departure of freighter "Cape Taylor" the previous 
day, a big quantity of military equipment, 
including six UH-60A type ambulance helicopters, 
were loaded on freighter "Cape Vincent" which 
will also carry the Patriot missile systems at 
Incirlik AFB. The lease term at Iskenderun port, 
where the US had been amassing military equipment 
since February 18, will expire tomorrow. But it 
is speculated that the US has extended the lease 
contract until April 23, and it is expected that 
the shipment of troops and military equipment 
would be completed by then. In the meantime, 40 
more US soldiers left Batman base. 
 
 
Sabah: The indictment wherein villagers threw 
stones and eggs at the US soldiers who went to a 
village near Sanliurfa where a US missile had 
erroneously fallen some time ago is kept 
confidential. It is reported that the Chief 
 
SIPDIS 
Public Prosecutor of Sanliurfa proposed to the 
Court of First Instance to keep the file 
confidential after the news about the case 
 
SIPDIS 
appeared in Sabah paper. Thus the villagers and 
their lawyers have been denied access to the 
files. In response to lawyers' demand for lifting 
the decision, the court said confidentiality of 
the file was essential for the successful result 
of the case. 
 
 
Turkiye/Bolge: As a result of operations launched 
by Adana police, 6 alleged PKK militants were 
captured. The PKK suspects whose names have not 
been disclosed by the security officials are 
still under interrogation. 
 
 
Evrensel: A hearing continued about Hasim 
Beyazgul, a deaf and mute shepherd, was killed on 
September 19, 2001 by soldiers affiliated with a 
Jandarma Unit while grazing his sheep. The father 
of the victim sued the soldiers at a court in Van 
on charges of "deliberate killing and 
unauthorized burying." Only the victim's father 
and his attorney, Murat Timur, attended the 
hearing yesterday which involved seven soldiers 
being tried in absentia. The hearing was 
adjourned to June 6, 2003 on the grounds that the 
documents had not been completed yet. 
 
 
Sabah: Because of the amendments made in the 
Retirement Law, which now mandates retirement for 
public employees aged 61, 11 governors recently 
appointed by the AKP face compulsory retirement 
if the cabinet does not prolong their tenure with 
a special decree. The TNP General Director and 
Former Regional Governor, Gokhan Aydiner and 
governors of Hakkari and Van in the Adana 
Consular district will also be retired per the 
law. 
 
 
Cumhuriyet: Turkey has been considering opening a 
2nd Border Gate with Iraq and rescheduling Turkish 
Airlines, THY, flights to Baghdad. The Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs' Coordination Meeting attended 
by public and private sector representatives 
decided the following issues: 
THY would start working on direct flights to 
Baghdad; work on opening the second border gate 
would be expedited, in addition to Habur gate; 
efforts would be made to ensure that foodstuffs 
and humanitarian relief items would be purchased 
and transported from Turkey; efforts would be 
made to build a direct railway to Iraq; the 
contracting sector would be enlivened; special 
projects credits would be given by Turkish 
Eximbank to promote exports and contracting 
services in Iraq; attempts would be made for 
Turkish companies to do oil prospecting in Iraq; 
and a competent representative would be sent to 
the office set up by the US for rebuilding of 
Iraq. 
 
 
Bolge: The Turkish Air Lines' scheduled flights 
to Gaziantep, which were cancelled due to 
deployment of US troops at the airport for the 
war on Iraq, will restart on April 18. 
HOLTZ