SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0091 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, MARCH 31, 2003 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 31, 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. ¶2. Hurriyet/Tercuman/Radikal/Dunya/Milliyet/ Evrensel/Bolge: Trucks carrying US military equipment were stoned by a group of people in Sanliurfa. The group dispersed after the police came to the scene. The windshields of some trucks were broken, and the convoy proceeded under security escort. One week after evacuation of the base in Nusaybin, the US evacuated its logistical support center in the Organized Industrial Zone in Kiziltepe of Mardin yesterday. Following the loading of military equipment and vehicles on trucks, the US soldiers left by buses from Mardin to Incirlik AB. ¶3. Cumhuriyet: The US wants the coordination cell to be established in Silopi to be represented at the rank of a colonel. Turkish officials are uncomfortable about the status of the Kurds to be represented at the CC. Different options are still under discussion. The US is reluctant to sign any documents about the coordination cell, and the Turkish side is still not satisfied with verbal declarations by the US about protecting Iraq's territorial integrity and sharing the oil wealth of Iraq among all its peoples. In response to the news that Kurds are as close as 20 kilometers to Kirkuk, President Bush's Special Envoy to Iraq, Zalmay Halilzad, reminded his Turkish counterparts that "The Kurds will not enter Mosul and Kirkuk. Should such a thing happen, they will have spoiled the game. We will prevent that even before you do." ¶4. Hurriyet: Armed US troops are taking very stringent security measures at the airbase at the Gaziantep airport, where 250 US military vehicles and tons of equipment are stored. Turkish soldiers provide security with armored vehicles at the entrance of the airport. ¶5. Milliyet: The US is continuing to amass military equipment and armored vehicles for transport by aircraft into northern Iraq. As Iraqi forces withdrew from Chamchamal toward Kirkuk, a 30-kilometer-area was taken under control by the Kurds. The PUK fighters positioned around Kirkuk are waiting for US heavy armament and armored vehicles to arrive for the offensive, and are preparing measures against possible looting in the region. ¶6. Turkiye/Cumhuriyet: Some 90 empty trucks that belonged to the Turkish Armed Forces arrived in Mardin and were subsequently dispatched to a tank battalion in Midyat. The trucks are expected to carry armored vehicles from Midyat to Silopi. It is reported that Turkey will send armored personnel carriers to northern Iraq and withdraw its tanks and military vehicles from the Iraqi border. ¶7. Turkiye: An alleged Hizbullah member, Huseyin Celik, was arrested in Kavak hamlet of Ucyol village in Hasankeyf township in Batman. He was ordered held by the court. ¶8. Cumhuriyet: TIHAK, Turkish Human Rights Institution, announced that 14,500 torture incidents, 261 extra-judicial executions, 518 killings under detention, and 216 disappearances under detention occurred in Turkey between 1990- ¶2002. According to TIHAK's data, 4,820 cases have been opened against Turkey in the European Court of Human Rights; Turkey lost 286 and won 12 of the cases, 513 were resolved amicably. 107 cases were not found acceptable by the court. TIHAK President, Nevzat Helvaci, announced during its 4th Ordinary Convention that the torture issue in Turkey had not been resolved yet. Although the case alleging torture of young men from Manisa was taken to the highest court in the country, because of statue of limitations the perpetrators would most likely escape accountability. ¶9. Hurriyet/Milliyet/Evrensel/Bolge/Cumhuriyet: As a result of explosion in a two-story factory producing yeast and additives for bakers in Adana, eight people died and 13 others were wounded. While bomb experts attributed the explosion to chemical reactions, the security director of Adana said they were taking into account claims of a sabotage as well. HOLTZ