SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 14, 2005

UNCLAS ADANA 000016

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 14, 2005


1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for January
14, 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


2. CUMHURIYET / EVRENSEL: The Liman-Is (Union of Ports)
issued a written report to protest the privatization of the
TCDD's (Turkish State Railways) ports and criticized the
transferring of some of the port ownerships without conducting
the usual contract awarding processes.


3. CUMHURIYET / EVRENSEL: After criticizing the Turkish
Parliament's ratification of the transfer of the SSK (Social
Security Authority) Hospitals, the Unions in Diyarbakir now
react sharply against the (Turkish) GoT's decision to close down
the General Directorate of the Village Services. Mehmet
Demircan, the Branch Secretary of the Yapi-Yol Sen (Union of
Construction and Road Works) stated that fifty thousand workers
and civil servants will be rendered unemployed with the closing
of the Village Services Offices.


4. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / VAKIT / BOLGE: Turkey and
Russia discussed ways to transport Russian oil and natural gas
through pipelines from Samsun (Turkey's Black Sea Coast) to the
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan (in Adana province). Under this
project, a terminal for liquidated natural gas may also be set
up in Ceyhan. It is highly likely that Ceyhan is going to be the
center for natural gas and oil delivery, since Azerbaijani oil,
through Baku-Tiflis-Ceyhan pipeline, is also going to be
delivered from Ceyhan to the world markets.


5. YENI SAFAK / SABAH / MILLIYET / HURRIYET / ZAMAN /
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: Mehmet Fidanci (allegedly an
executioner of Hizbullah terrorist organization),to whom a
legal action was brought against for killing Ali Gaffar Okkan
(Diyarbakir Security Director) and five policemen in January 24,
2001, is sentenced to life in prison by the Diyarbakir Criminal
Court.


6. OZGUR GUNDEM: 3400 students of 144 villages in
Kiziltepe are not being transported to schools due to a failure
of the (Turkish) Ministry of Education's "transportation system"
project. The Ministry has not paid the amount due in 2004 to the
contractors. Hence, the contractors are unable to pay the wages
of the drivers who had been carrying the students to their
schools.


7. OZGUR GUNDEM: Bilal Cosalev (17) allegedly committed
suicide in the Erzurum (E-Type) Prison on December 17, 2004;
however, his death was reported to his family fourteen days
later. This delay raised suspicions about the death of Cosalev.
Then, Cosalev's family filed a complaint to the Kars Prosecutor
and claimed that the prison officers killed their son.


8. EVRENSEL: The workers of TEKEL (State Cigarette Factory)
and their families held a demonstration in Adana and Malatya to
protest and to stop the TEKEL's privatization process.



9. EVRENSEL: Despite the presence of allegations that the
Bolu Commando Brigade and the village guards burnt down many
villages in Lice, Diyarbakir and killed six villagers in Kutlu
village of Lice in 1994, the cases are no longer put on trial
(except for the European Court of Human Rights following up the
case of six villagers) on Turkish Courts thanks to the statute
of limitations.


10. MILLIYET: Arif Sakik, a captive held in prison for being
a member of the terrorist organization, namely the PKK, was
asked for his statement about the mass graves discovered in
Kulp, Diyarbakir. Sakik stated that the eleven people found in
the grave might be the ones that PKK executed on the grounds
that eleven people were "operatives/agents". Sakik said that if
the bones were discovered under a walnut tree, then those people
are the ones killed by the PKK.