AMERICA'S TOP COPS IN ISTANBUL DURING ATTACK ON CONSULATE

The armed attack in front of the American Consulate in Istanbul took
place at a time when high-level U.S. drug enforcement agents were in
town to attend the 26th International Drug Enforcement Conference,
bringing together top law enforcement officials from 91 countries.

When the attack took place at around 10:30 a.m. yesterday, Michele
Leonhart, the Drug Enforcement Agency's, or DEA, acting
administrator; Scott Burns, deputy director of the White House Office
of National Drug Control Policy; and Mark Destito, the DEA's Regional
Director based in Ankara were briefing a group of journalists at the
conference venue in the Conrad Hotel in Bethiktath district, 10
kilometers from Ystinye, where the consulate moved a few years ago.

The news of the attack, which left three Turkish police officers
dead, sent shock waves through the U.S. agents who organized the
conference with the Directorate of the Turkish Police.

During the press briefing, which likely began around when the
15-minute gunfight between the Turkish police and the assailants
started, Turkish law enforcement officials were praised for their
success in intercepting drug trafficking passing through Turkey.

"Turkey seized 15 to 16 percent of the heroin coming from
Afghanistan. Turkey has done such a good job that drug smugglers have
started to take a different route rather than the Balkan route, which
is the primary corridor for Afghan-produced drugs to reach Europe.
The anchor point for the Balkan Route is Turkey, which remains a
major staging area and transportation route for heroin destined for
European markets," said the Interpol Web site.

"Turkish authorities need to be recognized because they have put so
much pressure on the drug lords that they started to change methods
and routes," said Leonhart.

Answering a question regarding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party,
or PKK, Leonhart recalled President Bush's decision to use a U.S.
drug trafficking law to impose financial sanctions on the PKK. "This
allows us to cut off organizations helping the PKK in their criminal
activities," said Leonhart.

Scott Burns from the White House said those using drugs are funding terrorism.