SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0123 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, APRIL 29, 2003 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 29, 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. Radikal: Jandarma Master Sergeant Ilhan Kayikci and Private Salih Sancar were arrested for killing Cetin Kahraman by gunfire on the grounds that Kahraman disobeyed a "halt warning" while driving from Baskale to Van the previous morning. Seven people had already been detained for attacking the police with stones and clubs as the police took Kahraman's body from the hospital; they were released by the court on the condition that they voluntarily appear before the court when needed. ¶3. Radikal/Milli Gazete: Kizilay's -Turkish Red Crescent- humanitarian relief items destined for Mosul and Kirkuk in Northern Iraq left Habur border gate yesterday. Two Turkish Parliamentarians accompanied the humanitarian relief convoy. The Turkish Foreign Ministry (FM) announced hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian relief goods had already been moved to Iraq. The FM also announced aircraft and health teams would be dispatched from Turkey to Iraq for the treatment of some wounded persons. ¶4. Tercuman: Claudia Roth, the German Parliamentarian from the Green Party, met with officials from UNHCR, UNICEF, and WHO at the UN's office in Diyarbakir. She said she was visiting the region as someone in charge of the humanitarian relief program. She also received information regarding Iraq from the UN officials. During her meeting with Diyarbakir's governor, Roth expressed that she was happy because the wave of migration everybody had feared did not happen, and there is a calm situation in northern Iraq. She also told the governor that broadcasting in the mother tongue, particularly in Kurdish, should be allowed. ¶5. Evrensel: On March 1, Zamanhan Kaya, Mehmet Bakis, Bilal Yakis, and Suat Kucuk went to Nusaybin in Mardin to sell detergents. They were arrested by the village guards on the grounds they would join the "mountain cadre of the organization (PKK)." Later, the court released them but they were never heard from again after they were set free. Kaya's father claimed he received a letter 15 days ago, undersigned by an Ibrahim, stating his son and his three friends were under arrest in Nusaybin and would be released shortly. Kaya's father feared his son and the others would be kidnapped, and therefore applied to Diyarbakir State Security Court (SSC) and Diyarbakir HRA to help find out whereabouts of his son and his friends. ¶6. Evrensel: The President of the Physically Handicapped Persons Association in Hakkari, Bedri Calli, said he had 50 members who were victims of randomly planted land mines during the 15-year long clashes in the region. He said many people were disabled by the explosion of land mines while going out for a walk or walking from one village to another. Calli also stated the area must be cleared of land mines so people could return to their villages. ¶7. Evrensel: On May 1, the Turkish Labor Day, meetings will be held between the political parties and labor unions in almost every town. In Adana, the meeting will start at 11:00 a.m. at Mimiar Sinan Open Air Theater and continue with a march to the Ugur Mumcu Square by the railway station. In Van, after a long absence, the festivities will be held for the first time. The May 1 meeting will also be held in Diyarbakir, Malatya, Mardin, Tunceli, Mersin, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Batman, Elazig, and Sanliurfa provinces in Adana's consular district. ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS ¶8. Milliyet/Bolge: Adana's Provincial Director of Agriculture, Abdullah Keskin, announced that "foot-and-mouth" disease had been diagnosed in some of the livestock illegally brought to Adana during the Sacrifice Holiday in mid-February. Keskin added, as a precaution, the livestock markets in Yuregir and Kozan districts were closed down until further notice. Keskin said, despite all precautions, mouth-and-foot disease was determined in five quarters of Seyhan and Yuregir districts because of unregistered livestock and the unauthorized movement of livestock. Pursuant to this issue, the Director of Provincial Animal Health Section, Enver Ozbek, said, they launched an inoculation campaign that began on March 01 and would last until May 15. They have already given shots to 56,804 animals in the province. HOLTZ