SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY

UNCLAS ADANA 0168 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY JUNE 30, 2003 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 30, 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, / UNESCO is taking Mardin off the World Heritage List. The report given by the International Organization of Monuments and Historical areas was a factor in the decision. Mardin is a 7000-year-old city that had applied to be on the World Heritage List in 1981. ¶3. Cumhuriyet, / The head of the Diyarbakir Human Rights Organization has been sued by the government due to the monthly reports about human rights in the area. Government officials said the reports are not about human rights but include sections that support KADEK. ¶4. Turkiye, / A Kurdish talk show was warmly welcomed in Batman. The show was the first in the area. Murat Batki, the speaker of the show, announced that government officials had organized and supported the event. ¶5. Bolge, Turkiye, / Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was in Adana over the weekend. He had come for his party's yearly convention and the opening of the new courthouse. ¶6. Bolge, Turkiye, / Security officials caught nine people including the leader of Marxist Leninist Communist Party Adana Branch for planning a bombing action against the Prime Minister during the new courthouse opening ceremony. ¶7. Evrensel, / TEKEL workers protested the privatization policy of the government during Mr. Erdogan's visit in Adana. Security officials took down the posters of the group, which gathered in a park. ¶8. Evrensel, / The first Kurdish song contest will be held by Mediterranean Culture and Art Center in Adana. HOLTZ