SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2005

UNCLAS ADANA 000021

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2005

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 01,

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

HURRIYET / MILLI GAZETE / ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET /
EVRENSEL / VAKIT: As the bitter cold and heavy snowfall continue
in many districts in eastern and southeastern Anatolia, the
state road between Hakkari and Van was closed and many cars
trapped due to three avalanches. Avalanche-clearing operations
lasting three hours rescued the cars. The main road between
Erzurum and Bingol has also been closed and road-clearing
operations are being conducted, as weather permits. Hundreds of
districts have been isolated due to snowfall on the roads, and
electricity and telephone lines have been damaged. The
Municipality of Mus requested compensation from the GoT to help
cover the heavy expenses caused by winter conditions.

OZGUR GUNDEM / VAKIT: Experts claim that the Yenisehir
district of Mardin, inhabited by 30,000 people, will be exposed
to the threat of a landslide in the event of an earthquake
there. After the earthquakes of Hakkari and Adana, the people
of Yenisehir fear that an earthquake will hit their hometown, as
there have been deep fractures in the earth in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, according to Ozgur Gundem, the Deputy Chairperson of
DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) and a group of attorneys
affiliated with the Human Rights Center of Van's Bar Association
paid a visit to Sutluce village of Hakkari, where an earthquake
killed two people last week.

EVRENSEL: Arriving "too late" in Hakkari -- specifically one
week after the earthquake -- was Mustafa Zeydan, AKP (Justice
and Development Party) MP from Hakkari, who commented on last
week's public unrest that arose after allegations of
insufficient aid to the community. Zeydan attributed the
incident to a small group inciting turmoil among people and
disturbing the peace after the earthquake. When asked why he
arrived so late in Hakkari, Zeydan said that he had been
occupied with coordinating all kinds of assistance urgently
needed by the disaster areas.

MILLI GAZETE: According to information obtained from the
Gaziantep Security Director, the number of operations conducted
against terrorist activities, compared to 2003 figures, declined
notably by fifty per cent and terrorist activities dropped by
twelve per cent within the province last year.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS


1. MILLI GAZETE: Recent discussions on how to privatize
the energy distribution networks seem to focus more on
transferring the shares of operational rights, rather than the
method of selling the assets to private sector investors.
According to authorities at the Privatization Administration,
the privatization process of at least one region should be
completed by March or April. Privatization of the remaining
regions should be completed by the end of 2006.


2. ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: In Iskenderun, many
people demonstrated against the decision to privatize the port
there. To protest the privatization process, the executive
board members of Liman-Is (Union of Ports)-Iskenderun Branch and
workers at the port carried banners reading, "Do not let the
ports be sold" and "Ports bear strategic importance, we will not
let them be sold".


3. BOLGE / EKSPRES / TURKIYE: The Ninth Administrative
Court in Ankara has suspended the Privatization Administration's
decision to shut down SEKA's (Turkish State Paper and Pulp
Factory) facilities in Izmit. Nevertheless, 300 workers at
SEKA's facilities in Mersin continued their expressions of their
support for the Izmit workers and demands that SEKA be removed
from the list of entities to be privatized.


4. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / MILLIYET: The Adana Branch of
the Foundation for SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises),
Self-Employed People and Executive Officers will hold a meeting
tomorrow (at Seyhan Hotel) in Adana to embark upon efforts that
will establish and promote the links of Adana's SMEs with the
rest of the world.


REID