SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0108

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,
APRIL 15, 2003


1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary
for April 15, 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. Milli Gazete/Bolge: Incirlik AFB became
active once more yesterday noon as five C-130s
took off and another one landed at the base. It
is reported that the cargo planes carried
military equipment brought to the AFB from other
US bases in the southeast and Iskenderun port.
Bolge reports the "Maersk Rostock" freighter
discharged 10 containers of US humanitarian
relief to be forwarded to Iraq via southeastern
Turkey.



3. Cumhuriyet: Goc-Der, The Immigrants Social
Assistance and Cultural Association has launched
a campaign to end the village guard system, which
is perceived as the most important impediment for
return to the villages. Many people moved to
urban centers because of the terror that started
in the southeast in 1984. While GOT officials
have stated that some 375,000 people left from
some 3,000 southeastern villages and hamlets,
some NGOs have estimated much higher, citing
millions of internally displaced people. With the
support of NGOs and municipalities, Goc-Der is
going to prepare a "Migration Map" of Turkey. The
project aims primarily to determine: the exact
number of migrants stemming from the 15-year-long
clash; how many of them managed to return; what
are their living conditions; and what is the
status of uncultivated land. At Goc-Der's
initiative, petitions with 18,000 signatures
demanding return to the villages were submitted
to the Turkish parliament. According to the
parliament's Human Rights Commission report of
April 2003, a total of 58,513 persons from 10,511
families have been returned to 456 villages and
347 hamlets. Clashes between village guards who
have been settled in the evicted villages and the
returnees have been reported, and thus Goc-Der
portrays the village guard system as the main
obstacle.



4. Turkiye: Acting on a tip, Van Security
Directorate teams seized over 20 kilos of
Iranian-origin heroin in the secret compartments
of a private car. Two persons arrested in
connection with trafficking of the drugs were
ordered held by the court. The police searching
the houses of the suspects and there seized one
unlicensed pistol and EU 10,600.



5. Turkiye: Jandarma teams, acting with a search
warrant issued by Adana State Security Court,
seized 37 illegal publications, books, magazines,
and documents at Ramazan Elcin's house in Gecitli
district and Mehmet Sefik Arslan's house in Misis
district of Yuregir township. An investigation
has started, the officials said.



6. Hurriyet: An independent parliamentary deputy
from Hakkari, Mustafa Zeydan, joined ANAP. With
his transfer, ANAP will henceforth be represented
in the Turkish parliament.


ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS



7. Turkiye: It is reported by the Gaziantep-
based Southeast Anatolian Exporters Union that
there has been a more than five percent increase
in pine nut exports in the first three months of
the year. The Exporters Union also announced
similar increases in nuts, red lentils,
chickpeas, and in wheat flour. More dramatic was
the decrease in exports of pistachios, sugar,
electric-electronic items, oil seeds, cement, and
livestock.



8. Hurriyet: As oil tankers could not come to
Yumurtalik because of the war in Iraq, the
Turkish Ministry of Energy asked to halt pumping
of oil last week because the pipes were already
full. Between 5 to 5.5 thousand cubic meters of
oil had been pumped daily from the lines, but no
oil tankers were able to ship the oil from the
storage in Yumurtalik to the international
markets.
HOLTZ