SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 3-4, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000069

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 3-4, 2005

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 3-4,

2005. 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

RADIKAL: Eric Edelman, the U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, said
that the U.S. might provide support or undertake feasibility
studies, should Turkey and Iraq agree to open a second gate on
their border. Opening a second border gate at a place that opens
to a non-Kurdish zone has been on the agenda of Turkey for five
years. The Kurdistan Democratic Party, which allegedly has been
exacting duties from Turkish trucks at its sole discretion due
to lack of a stable Iraqi government, has reportedly strongly
opposed this proposal.

YENI SAFAK / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: James Inhofe, a Republican
Senator, paid a surprise visit to Incirlik Airbase along with
U.S. Ambassador Edelman. Meanwhile, Abdullah Gul, Foreign
Minister, told AKP MPs on Sunday that the Turkish government
would grant permission to the U.S. for more flexible use of the
Incirlik Airbase; however, this permission would be within the
boundaries of U.N. criteria. In Monday's Cumhuriyet, Gul was
quoted as saying that they would soon provide a response to the
requests of the U.S.

HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: During a military operation conducted in
Guzeldere district of Bingol, one village guard was killed;
another village guard, as well as two soldiers, were wounded. A
network of shelters built to survive winter conditions was
discovered (note: the report does not say specifically, but
implies these shelters were established by terrorists). In
addition, 2240 pounds of food, 100 blankets, training suits,
medicine, syringes, and ammunition found in the shelters were
reportedly destroyed together with the shelters.

CUMHURIYET: The Ministry of Health embarked upon a project to
fight malaria in Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Batman and Siirt
provinces. To control the spread of the disease, the Ministry
began using pesticides, starting with the Yucelen village of
Siverek district in Sanliurfa.

CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Twenty-seven of the
"human shields" from Batman and Istanbul were allegedly arrested
as they tried to go to Cay village of Derik district in Mardin,
where military operations were being conducted. Twenty-nine of
the "human shields" from the Cukurova region were detained as
they tried to go to the Cudi Mountain. Some of the volunteers
reportedly have obtained medical reports from doctors indicating
that they have been exposed to violence.

OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Abdulkadir Aygan, a former PKK
member turned JITEM (Jandarma Intelligence Center) officer, had
allegedly made confessions regarding murders committed as a
JITEM officer to Ozgur Gundem (see press summary of 2/3/05). In
the wake of those confessions being reported, the Diyarbakir
Prosecutor pressed charges against Aygan on March 29. However,
it has been discovered that Aygan was recorded as dead in his
civil registry record. The court will solicit information on why
the civil registry of the accused lists him as dead.

EKSPRES: Ali Pekmezci, a columnist from Ekspres, wrote: "As
far as I can infer from a TV program of Nedim Soylu on _Akdeniz
Channel...the cold war between Aytac Durak and Abdullah Dogru
(Justice and Development Party Provincial Chairperson) seems to
be turning into a heated one. Meanwhile, _Akdeniz and Cukurova TV
are more than willing to host the upcoming war on their
channels."

EVRENSEL: GABID, the Association for Southeast - European
Union Relations, was founded in Diyarbakir. Sahin Akkaya,
GABID's Chairperson, said that the association has more than 100
members and that it is planning to open branches in Ankara,
Istanbul and Brussels.

CUMHURIYET: Although the ban on the Kurdish letters "x","w" and
"q" was lifted five moths ago, it is reported that nobody in
Diyarbakir has given names to their children including these
letters to date.

YENI SAFAK / BOLGE: Forty-seven percent of the population in
southeastern Turkey is under 15 years of age, according to data
provided by the State Statistics Institute. On a nationwide
level only 30 percent of the population is under 15.


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS


1. EKSPRES / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Hulusi Kilic, Turkey's
consul in Aleppo, Syria, paid a visit to Ali Kavak, Chairperson
of the Antakya Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Kilic
congratulated Kavak for being re-elected to office. Ambassador
Kilic stated that the volume of exports to Syria has doubled
compared to figures of four years before.




REID