SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY JULY 03-05, 2004

UNCLAS ADANA 000094 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM IZ TU ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY JULY 03-05, 2004 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for July 03-05, ¶2004. 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 Turkiye, Ozgur Gundem, Tercuman, Zaman / A truck loaded with explosives exploded in Van, killing three and injuring 24 people. Governor Hikmet Tan was on the same spot just 4 seconds before the explosion. His vehicle was seriously damaged, but Tan was not hurt. Security forces are investigating the incident. Cumhuriyet / In Adana eight terrorist attacks have been solved by the Jandarma in the past nine months. Ekspres / Adana's Sakirpasa health clinic was damaged with stones by alleged PKK/KONGRA-GEL terrorists. Turkiye, Zaman / People in Van marched in the streets to condemn the recent terrorist attacks. Approximately 5,000 people from 28 NGOs attended the parade, carrying Turkish flags and shouting peace slogans in Kurdish. Some Van MPs also attended the parade. DEHAP did not attend the peace parade. Van Governor Hikmet Tan stated that this is the best reaction for terrorism. ECONOMIC Zaman / State Minister Kursat Tuzmen announced that Turkish contractors were 125 international projects, worth approximately 3 billion US Dollars, in the first six months of the year 2004. REID