SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 21, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000059

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 21, 2005


This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 21,

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

ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM: Terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan
reportedly proposed a system that would bring together the
followers of the terrorist organization PKK in Turkey, Syria,
Iraq and Iran. Ocalan named himself leader of a "democratic
confederalism" and suggested that the movement's flag will be a
yellow sun and a red star on a green background. The new "flag"
was used for the first time in many places during Nevruz by his
followers. According to Ozgur Gundem, "democratic confederalism"
allegedly aims to solve social problems through democratic
means, avoiding the use of force and violence.

MILLIYET / RADIKAL / TERCUMAN / HURRIYET / ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET /
EKSPRES / OZGUR GUNDEM: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a
celebratory message to all citizens and all Turkish communities
celebrating Nevruz, with wishes that the new year's arrival will
bring peace and brotherhood. Large numbers of ethnic Kurdish
citizens participated in Nevruz nationwide and many other Turks
celebrated the occasion, as well. Nevruz in Van and Urfa
provinces reportedly were remarkably well attended compared to
past celebrations, with numbers reportedly reaching 100,000 in
Urfa. Leyla Zana and other Democratic Movement coordinators
addressed people in Urfa and set the Nevruz fire. In Urfa and
Kiziltepe, banners read, "We are saluting the leadership of
'democratic confederalism'". Kiziltepe's Nevruz was dedicated to
Ugur Kaymaz. Some there attempted to bring down the Turkish
flag but security officers brought it back up. In Mersin, where
50,000 people participated, some groups allegedly turned Nevruz
into support for the divisive propaganda of the PKK/Kongra-Gel;
some in that city attempted to burn the Turkish flag. Although
Nevruz was banned in Tunceli on the grounds that the city's
Organizing Committee's written request referred to "Newruz,"
instead of the Turkish version "Nevruz", 500 hundred people
burned the Nevruz fire and shouted slogans supporting Ocalan. In
Antalya, the police demanded that the banners reading "Newruz"
be brought down. DEHAP members protested by sticking black
adhesive tape over the letter "w."

OZGUR GUNDEM: Selahattin Gunbay, a 13-year-old boy, was
allegedly shot dead in Nusaybin, Mardin province, as he was
shepherding a flock of sheep in the outskirts of Kayadibi
village, renowned for its village guards. Gunbay's family
applied to the Diyarbakir Branch of Human Rights Association and
claimed that village guards shot their son.

CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: According to various sources, the
European Court of Human Rights will demand that Turkey prosecute
Abdullah Ocalan once again. (Note: Cumhuriyet says Sinan Aygun,
Chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, said this, while
Ozgur Gundem attributes such statements to Abdullah Ocalan's
attorneys. End note.) Irfan Dundar, Ocalan's attorney, said,
"The EU will demand this reform from Turkey. The Turkish
government, which evaded political damage as best it could, is
now trying to find a formula to solve the issue." Aygun stated
that certain countries in the EU are trying to destabilize
Turkey, sometimes by using the Armenian and Greek diasporas, and
other times by using "divisive components" within Turkey.

BOLGE / ZAMAN / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) : A group of TEKEL
(Turkish state tobacco group) employees working in TEKEL's Adana
factory protested against Abdullatif Sener, Deputy Prime
Minister and State Minister, during an opening ceremony in
Adana. Adana Governor Cahit Kirac talked with the protestors
himself and requested that they end their protests. As the group
shouted slogans, "We won't let TEKEL be sold, we won't let our
country be sold," and criticized the government, they were taken
away from the scene within a police circle.

VAKIT: Huseyin Celik, Minister of Education, was protested
against during the opening ceremony of a private primary school
in Adana. The protestors demanded that the graduates of
Imam-Hatip schools be allowed to attend universities and the
head-scarf-ban in public places be lifted.

TERCUMAN: The traffic congestion at the Habur Border gate in
Sirnak still makes truck drivers uncomfortable as they suffer
from the pile-up in trucks in front of the gate due to the
increasing volume of trade between Turkey and Iraq.

EKSPRES / OZGUR GUNDEM / BOLGE: Mehmet Agar, the leader of
DYP (True Path Party),bitterly criticized the government's
policies during a party meeting in Adana. Agar reportedly
addressed 12,000 people during his speech. TEKEL and TELEKOM
employees carried banners and demanded that the government stop
the privatization of the state enterprises.

BOLGE / OZGUR GUNDEM: On the second anniversary of the U.S.
operation in Iraq, a 100-person group marched to the front gate
of the American Consulate in Adana and chanted slogans saying
"Murderer U.S.A. Get out of Iraq," "Close down Incirlik
Airbase," and "Long live the brotherhood of people." Turkish
Anti-Terror and Riot Police took security precautions and did
not allow the group to get closer to the building. Five
demonstrators left a black wreath in front of the Consulate Gate.



REID