SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 15, 2005

UNCLAS ADANA 000050

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 15, 2005

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 15,

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

YENI SAFAK / SABAH / MILLIYET / RADIKAL / ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM /
CUMHURIYET / EVRENSEL : Another earthquake measuring 5.9 shook
Karliova district of Bingol yesterday morning and wounded
eighteen people. Sixty-nine buildings were seriously damaged and
383 buildings were moderately damaged. The relief aid's arrival
in remote settlements was delayed due to the snow-blocked roads.
People stayed outside at very cold temperatures all night long.


CUMHURIYET / EVRENSEL: Nevruz celebrations will start early
this year. A variety of activities and events will be held in
Istanbul, Adana and Gaziantep to celebrate the day. DEHAP
(Democratic People's Party) Istanbul Provincial Chairperson said
that they will invite the Governor and the Mayor to this year's
celebration and celebrate the event together with political
parties and mass organizations. DEHAP's Provincial Chairperson
in Gaziantep said that recent developments in the (southeastern)
region will be emphasized during the celebrations, giving a
message of cooperation to democratic forces.

RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL: The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs rejected claims made in the recent Human Rights Watch
(HRW) report. (Note: The document reportedly claims that Turkey
had failed to implement plans to facilitate the return of
internally displaced people, mainly Kurds, to southeastern
Turkey, and had made misleading statements about the number of
people who actually returned. End note.) The Ministry announced
that the report, far from being a real representation of events,
is ignoring the sincere endeavors of Turkey to facilitate the
return of the people to the region.

OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET / EVRENSEL: A report prepared by
the Egitim-Sen (Education Union) showed that 800,000 children
are not able to go to schools in the (southeastern) region, due
to both an inadequate number of facilities and the economic
needs of some families. Children are going to the agricultural
fields to work. In order for these children to receive full-day
schooling (at a classroom size of 30 students per class),
26,000 classrooms and 22,000 additional teachers are needed at
the present. This is because currently, the sizes of the
classrooms in the region are 60 to 70 students per class, and
the schoolday is divided in half to receive two groups of
students. The report adds that the 15 years of conflict in the
region badly affected the psychology of many children.

BOLGE: Suleyman Onatca, Chairperson of the Adana
Industrialists and Businessmen Association, criticized the way
PM Erdogan governed the country. According to Onatca, PM Erdogan
has been disregarding public opinion, the Turkish economy has
been on a bad track and unemployment rates have been soaring.
Onatca placed blame on the government for falling into idleness
since December 17.


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS


1. SABAH (GUNEY): The producers of the Cukurova Plain have
been producing organically cultivated lettuce and exporting some
of the produce to EU countries. The lettuce is either being
consumed in supermarkets and fast food chains in Istanbul, Izmir
and Ankara, or is being made into salads in Istanbul factories
for export mainly to the U.S., England, Denmark and Italy to
meet the demand of fast food markets there.



REID