SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0230

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,
SEPTEMBER 02, 2003


1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary
for September 02, 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. Milliyet/Evrensel/Cumhuriyet: 2138 persons
applied to benefit from the Reintegration Law
which aims to bring active members of the
terrorist organizations committing crimes
against the state from the mountains. 1507
inmates applied from prisons to benefit from
the law that came into force on August 6. The
number of those who applied at their own will
from the rural remained at 211. The breakdown
of the applicants from prisons are as
follows:PKK/KADEK members:1169; Hizbullah: 338;
DHKP/C: 22; Hizb-ut Tahrir: 28; TKP/ML: -
TIKKO: 26; Dev-Sol: 22 Tikko: 41; and Other
Organization Members: 240.



3. Sabah/Evrensel: Unlike in the past, the
Governorate of Diyarbakir granted permission to
celebrate September 1 World Peace Day in
Diyarbakir. The meeting which was organized by
the Democracy Platform and the leadership of
DEHAP, turned into a festival of support for
Abdullah Ocalan. The crowd frequently shouted
pro-Ocalan slogans. A big banner, written in
Kurdish and Turkish, carrying one of Ataturk's
statements saying "Peace at Home, Peace in the
World" was arrayed in the meeting square.



4. Turkiye: The mysterious dead body of a young
man, 24, was found on a heap of dirt in a
cemetery in Kiziltepe of Mardin. The victim was
shot to death in the skull. The police started
an investigation.



5. Sabah' Guney Supplement: ANAP and DYP
Provincial Chairmen stated that they would
jointly nominate the current mayor of Adana,
Aytac Durak, as their mayoral candidate for
Adana in the upcoming local elections. Both
parties were unable to pass ten percent
national bar in November 2002 General
Elections.



6. Turkiye: Six persons suspected of having
contracted anthrax in Catak, Van province, were
sent to the Research Hospital of Centennial
University in Van. Innoculations started in the
villages and hamlets where anthrax has been
reported.


ECONOMIC



7. Turkiye: Eleven workers at the Uzan Group
affiliated cement factories in Gaziantep and
Sanliurfa claimed that they were terminated
from their positions solely for being members
of a labor union. In their press announcement
in a park, the workers claimed that about one
hundred workers were registered with the labor
union, and the factory's management pressured
the workers not to become members of the union.



8. Dunya/Zaman: The Young Businessmen Associations
in Iskenderun, Hatay, Gaziantep, Siirt, Mardin,
Diyarbakir, Cukurova, Adana, and Mersin merged,
forming the South and Southeastern Young
Businessmen Federation. After formation of the
business federations in other regions by the
end of October, the Young Businessmen
Confedaration of Turkey will be formed.


TOURISM and CULTURE



9. Hurriyet: David Packard is going to host an
exhibition in Istanbul in 2004 of Objects Found
in Zeugma, Gaziantep province. David Packard
had donated USD 5 million for excavations in
Zeugma and has suspended donating USD 100
million for the excavations that would be
carried out for ten years because of a dispute
with the Turkish Cultural Ministry over the
issue.



10. Zaman: Because of lack of funds, excavations
at Hasankeyf, Batman province, have been
halted. The head of the excavation team, Prof.
Dr. Olus Arik said they were expecting to carry
out their excavations for two or three more
months, but they had to stop their operations
due to lack of funds.
REID