US embassy cable - 03ADANA159

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 0159 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY 
JUNE 12, 2003 
 
 
1.  This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for June 12, 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. Hurriyet/Sabah/Milliyet/Tercuman/Dunya/Cumhur iyet 
/Milli Gazete/Bolge/Turkiye/Evrensel: A suicide 
bomber attacked the US Consulate in Adana at 
14:30 yesterday, June 11. The bomber, Cumali 
Kizilkoca (35), tried to enter the Consulate on 
the grounds that he wanted to apply for an 
immigrant visa. Kizilkoca threw two bombs, which 
he had strapped on himself, as he was stopped by 
the security guards. One of the bombs exploded 
immediately while the police detonated the other. 
Some windows of the Consulate building were 
shattered. Kizilkoca shouted, "I attacked the US 
Consulate to protest Israel's attack on the 
HAMAS'leader." While being taken to the Security 
Directorate, he stated, "I attacked to kill 
Americans." In his statement to the police, 
Kizilkoca said, "The suicide attack at HAMAS' 
leader hurt my pride." It was declared that the 
bomber was intoxicated when he attacked. 
Kizilkoca said he had stolen the bombs from the 
military when he was mustered out. Kizilkoca is 
married and has two children. The police found 
one hundred grams of hash at his house and 
reported the police wanted him for using weapons 
without a license. 
 
 
3.  Milliyet: Deputy Governor of Adana, Caner 
Yildiz, disclosed that they would train up to 
sixty volunteers in every quarter of Adana for 
conducting rescue operations in the case of 
natural disasters. He said they also would make 
arrangements for radio communications between the 
Civil Defense Directorate, public offices, and 
big industrial plants. Yildiz said it would be 
impossible for the civil defense experts to reach 
everywhere, therefore all the public offices and 
big industrial plants should take their own 
measures to ensure the safety of their personnel 
and property. 
 
 
4.  Milliyet/Radikal: The State Security Court 
(SSC) of Ankara initiated two new investigations 
on DEHAP because of the events experienced during 
its extraordinary meeting in Ankara last weekend. 
The Chief Prosecutor's office brought charges 
against the party's administrators for not 
chanting the "national anthem" and shouting "pro- 
Ocalan slogans" at the meeting. Another 
investigation has been initiated against DEHAP 
for undertaking actions in favor of the 
separatist organization during its Youth 
Organization's meeting fifteen days ago. The 
Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, who 
had asked for permanent closure of DEHAP earlier 
is also following the SSC's charges closely. 
 
 
5.  Milliyet: The PKK/KADEK militant, Mehmet 
Gungordu (AKA Sason), who was in charge of PKK's 
team in Cudi Mountain and who surrendered to the 
security forces in Antalya some time ago, is 
being tried at Diyarbakir's State Security Court 
(SSC). Gungordu claimed the PKK had seven 
thousand armed militants; it had decided to 
increase the number of the armed groups in the 
Southeast; and, it had four hundred suicide 
bombers at Zab and Kandil regions in Northern 
Iraq waiting for instructions. Gungordu, who is 
facing life imprisonment, told the court that the 
suicide bombers headed by a militant known as 
"Hakki" would undertake actions in big towns in a 
likely conflict with Turkey, and would target 
economic establishments. He said the organization 
had bought anti-aircraft missiles and Docka type 
heavy weaponry. 
 
 
6.  Milliyet: TRT (Turkish Radio and Television) 
appealed to the Supreme Court for reversing the 
Regulations About the Language of the Radio and 
Television Broadcasting which permits 
broadcasting in Kurdish. The path for 
broadcasting in Kurdish will be closed should the 
Supreme Court reverse the case or decide on 
halting the execution of the regulation. 
Broadcasting was made permissible after RTUK 
(Radio and Television High Commission) made 
amendments in the RTUK Law for the first EU 
harmonization laws passed last year. RTUK's 
arrangements of the regulation based on that law 
came into effect as of December 18, 2002. 
According to the regulation, TRT would broadcast 
Kurdish programs prepared by RTUK's experts; 
however, because amendments have not been made in 
TRT's Law, TRT demanded the reversal of RTUK's 
decision on the grounds that it could not 
broadcast in opposition to its regulations. Only 
private TV channels will be permitted to 
broadcast in Kurdish if the Supreme Court 
reverses the case. 
 
 
7.  Evrensel: Thirty-eight people, mostly 
Solidarity Association members, who were detained 
for protesting the US-led war on Iraq in front of 
the AK Party's provincial office in Adana, were 
arraigned at Adana's State Security Court 
yesterday. The protesters had come from Antakya, 
Mersin, and Adana. The protesters said they were 
exposed to pressure during their detention and 
were forced to sign documents other than their 
own statements, and would file countercharges 
against the Adana Security Directorate and Public 
Prosecutor's office. 
 
 
8.  Evrensel: Ocalan's lawyers and brother were 
not permitted to visit Ocalan at the prison in 
Imrali island on the grounds of adverse weather 
conditions. 
 
 
9.  Turkiye: Vice Rector of New York State 
University (NYSU), Robert Gosende, who is also in 
charge of NYSU's International Programs, visited 
Cukurova University in Adana. Gosende said they 
were looking for areas of cooperation between the 
universities in both countries, and added that 
there already was cooperation in agriculture, 
environment, language, and exchange programs for 
students and teachers between the universities. 
 
 
ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 
 
 
10.  Hurriyet: A Memorandum of Understanding 
(MOU) was signed between Diyarbakir Governor, 
Nusret Miroglu, and Gramen Bank's Chief Executive 
Officer (CEO), Muhammed Yunus, to implement the 
Micro-credit Project aimed to reduce poverty in 
Diyarbakir. Another cosigner of the MOU, 
Diyarbakir's MP from AK Party, Aziz Akgul, said 
they would start giving credits to the poorest 
women in the area and gradually expand the 
project nationwide. The bank's CEO, Prof. Dr. 
Yunus, said their project is being applied in one 
hundred and ten countries, and the Turkish Prime 
Minister and media has shown great interest in 
their projects. 
HOLTZ