Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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03ADANA96 | 2003-04-04 16:56:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Consulate Adana |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0096 |
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 04, 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: Turkish and US officials started working on activating the issues Turkey and the US agreed on during the Secretary of State's visit to Ankara. Ambassador Pearson discussed with his Turkish counterpart, FM Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal, about where the Turkish-American-led center that will provide military coordination with Northern Iraq should be headquartered. Turkey, in order to escape debates about the "legal structure of the center," asked that the unit's center be in northern Iraq, while the US insisted having it headquartered in Diyarbakir or Silopi with a liaison office in Suleymaniye. Military and civilian officials will be employed at the to-be-formed coordination unit with participation from Turkish, US, PUK, IKDP, and Turkomen Front officials. The fundamental purpose of the coordination unit will be to handle refugee and security issues. The center's sources of information will be the information gathered by Turkish and US intelligence. The center will gather information about PKK/KADEK and Al Ansar activities in the region, assess refugee flows, and monitor Kurdish groups vis-Q-vis Mosul and Kirkuk. President Bush's special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, is expected to come to Ankara on Tuesday to give the final shape to the matter. 3. Cumhuriyet: People living in Dohuk and Semele towns in Northern Iraq have started moving to the mountains and villages close to the Turkish border as a precaution against an attack by Saddam. The people who had migrated to areas close to the Turkish frontier earlier had returned their homes, but after artillery fire in the vicinity of Selahaddin, Suleymaniye, and Erbil, people became anxious again and the ones living in Dohuk and Semele migrated to Mt. Beyaz and Mt. Zavita regions. It is reported that the US and British soldiers, along with Kurdish peshmergas, have been put on alert around Dohuk, Suleymaniye, Mosul, and Azre, and the US soldiers have been primarily positioned at Zavo Mountain near Dohuk. Peshmargas and US soldiers have been digging positions on the hills at Semele and Desta Dubane, and the radar systems set up on Mt. Zavo has enabled US soldiers to observe military movements in Iraq and Iran. The Gircepel hill close to Syria, which was evacuated by Iraqi forces, was bombed by US troops. The purpose of bombing of the hill has been interpreted as being to intimidate Syria. 4. Turkiye: Police in disguise have been taking stringent security measures around Tarsus American College. The school, which has produced many important statesmen in Turkey, has been operational for more than 110 years. The security measures will remain until the conclusion of the war. 5. Evrensel: A group of people who gathered yesterday in Ovacik quarter of Seyhan district of Adana organized a demonstration on the occasion of the foundation of KADEK and Abdullah Ocalan's birthday. The crowd lit a bonfire and shouted slogans. 6. Radikal: The US Embassy put a new "Visa Information Service" for Turkey into operation yesterday. From now on, the applicants will acquire visa-related information by calling an Istanbul call center number (212-340-4444) instead of phoning the Embassy or Consulates. Callers will be able to get visa appointments as well as information. For this purpose, they will have to pay an equivalent of USD 16 in Turkish lira for the phone call. Until April 9, however, the call will be free of charge. ECONOMIC AND CULUTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 7. Cumhuriyet: The war on Iraq and the ongoing economic crisis has been having a negative impact on Gaziantep's economy. While production lines have been running at 30 percent capacity, many have sent their employees on leave without pay, and as a result a 30 percent decrease in commodity exchange has been reported. Gaziantep is the most important regional town with respect to trade with Middle Eastern countries. A substantial portion of food items exported to Iraq under the oil-for-food program are supplied from Gaziantep. The US attack has caused stagnation in the region's economy. The President of the Executive Committee of Gaziantep's Organized Industrial Zone, Akif Ekici, said Gaziantep had an important place in Turkey's economy, and was a model town for development in Anatolia. Ekici said that there were 485 operational factories and 120 others under construction in the four industrial zones, which cover an area of 24 million square meters in town. Ekici added that 55 factories suffered losses during the 1991 Gulf War, and estimated the town's financial losses in this war at USD 30 million. HOLTZ |