US embassy cable - 03ADANA120

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0120 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          APRIL 25, 2003 
 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for April 25, 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.  Bolge: The reverse shipment of the US 
military vehicles and equipment deployed in 
Turkey under "site preparation" accord was 
completed from the port of Iskenderun today. 
While the US military ship named "Cape Edmunt" 
left the port, 250 US soldiers left for Incirlik 
AFB. 
 
 
3.  Evrensel: The State Security Court of Adana 
(SSC) postponed until May 22 the case involving 
81 persons charged with "assisting and harboring" 
the PKK for filing petitions demanding Kurdish to 
be put among the selective classes.  The SSC 
initially accused the individuals of "PKK 
membership," but due to of lack of evidence, the 
accusation was changed to "assisting and 
harboring the PKK." Because of the inmates' and 
their lawyers' demand for additional time for 
defense the court postponed the hearing to May 
22. 
 
 
4.  Evrensel: The European Human Rights Court 
(EHRC) accepted the application concerning 
Suleyman Ekrem who was killed by  security 
forces. Ekrem was abducted by force from his 
house in Elazig on November 29, 1999, and was 
killed by soldiers firing on him. As Ekrem's 
family did not receive any response to their 
complaint about the security forces, their 
lawyers appealed to the EHRC. The court asked the 
Turkish government to prepare its defense in 
writing by July 2, 2003. The president of the 
Tunceli Bar Association,  Huseyin Aygun, said the 
laws in Turkey were not democratic, and Turkey 
should amend its laws to harmonize them with the 
European concept of human rights. 
 
 
5.  Tercuman/Sabah/Milliyet: Claudia Roth, in 
charge of Germany's human rights issues, held 
meetings with her Turkish counterparts in Ankara 
yesterday. Roth called on Mehmet Elkatmis, TNA's 
President of Human Rights Inspection Committee, 
and is expected to call on Foreign and Interior 
Ministers as well. Roth will also attend the 
hearing of former DEP parliamentarians, Leyla 
Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan, and Selim Sadak's 
at the State Security Court of Ankara today. 
Roth, who will go to the southeast to meet with 
the leaders of human rights associations and 
religious groups, and will also hear about 
humanitarian relief to Iraq. 
 
 
ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 
 
 
6.  Turkiye/Bolge/Hurriyet/Milliyet: The 
President of Adana's Chamber of Agriculture (CA), 
Cumali Dogru, said 250 thousand tons of wheat 
imported by the Turkish Soil Products Department 
(TSPD) should not be sent to market before the 
harvest season in May and June because it would 
decrease the demand for the wheat from the 
Cukurova plain, and would put the producers 
financially in a difficult position. The wheat 
imported by TSPD is scheduled to arrive in Turkey 
during April 24-25. 
HOLTZ