SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 04. 2005

UNCLAS ADANA 000149

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 04. 2005

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 04,

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


1. BOLGE: BAK (Global Peace and Justice Commisssion)
invited a group of Iraqi doctors to Turkey. The doctors will
attend the August 27 regional meeting of BAK in Adana and tell
about the massacres carried out in their country. The doctors
will be attending anti-war activities of BAK on September 4 in
Istanbul as well.


2. EKSPRES / BOLGE: Hilmi Guler, Minister of Energy and
Natural Resources, who came to Adana's airport to change planes,
said at the airport that the BTC (Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline)
project, by nature, involved security measures and there were
ongoing efforts regarding that. Guler, who was heading for
Nigde province to conduct studies at the dams, said there were
efforts under way to privatize five dams and allocate the public
resources reserved for them elsewhere.


3. CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: Hasan Sahin (68),the father
of a senior member of the PKK terrorist organization, was killed
by unknown people in his village in Tunceli. Reportedly seven
bullets hit Sahin's left chest and there was a wound on his
head, which reportedly could have been caused by a blow.


4. OZGUR GUNDEM: Reporting on the recent ruling of the
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) about Turkey, the daily
notes that Turkey was not only found guilty for not protecting
the life of Serdar Tanis and Ebubekir Deniz, but also for not
providing the investigation file to the ECHR, and hiding some of
the case's witnesses from the Court (see press summary 08/03).


5. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reports that, because of
ongoing military operations conducted at the border area in
Hakkari, the local people are afraid to leave their houses.
People were being further oppressed by the intensity of the
identity checks conducted at province's only entrance, namely
Depin. Separately, the paper reports that five people were taken
into custody as a result of the raids conducted in some sections
of the city of Hakkari.


6. OZGUR GUNDEM: Some women Turkey in Diyarbakir, Batman
and Silopi are celebrating August 2, the Rose Festival. The
festival reportedly marks two 1999 occurrences: the terrorist
leader Abdullah Ocalan ordering PKK "guerillas" to leave the
country, and Turkey abolishing capital punishment.


7. RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: The Foreign Ministry spokesperson
of said that Turkey urged U.S. and Iraqi officials to ban
organizations which were extensions of the PKK terrorist
organization in Iraq. The U.S., however, was not expected to do
anything about the offices, which reportedly had ties with the
PKK, on the grounds that these offices were political entities.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS


1. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Thirty-five Gaziantep businessmen
and their businesses were "proud to be included" in the list
of "Turkey's Biggest 1000 Exporters," which was recently
announced by Turkish Exporters Assembly.


2. BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY): The general manager of
Isdemir (Iskenderun Steel and Iron Company) in the Hatay
province resigned from his position, a decision, which some
papers report as based on the manager's health problems, while
other papers base this resignation on the manager's discontent
about the way Isdemir was being privatized.




MANSON