Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ADANA127
2006-05-30 11:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:
SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 26, 2006
how-toVZCZCXRO1130 RR RUEHDA DE RUEHDA #0127/01 1501143 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 301143Z MAY 06 FM AMCONSUL ADANA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4162 INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0762 RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0711 RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0612 RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000127
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 26, 2006
DThis is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 26, 2006.
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 / OZGUR GUNDEM: U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson, who
met with Kurdish politicians and human rights association
administrators in Ankara, will come to Diyarbakir with an
accompanying delegation to hold meetings with Diyarbakir Mayor
Osman Baydemir, Diyarbakir Bar Association Chairperson Sezgin
Tanrikulu, and Southeastern Industrialists and Businessmen
Association Chairperson Sahismail Bedirhanoglu. Wilson will go
to Mardin and Sanliurfa later. Yeni Safak daily pointed out
that Wilson's not meeting with DTP representatives in Ankara was
interpreted as the U.S. imposing an embargo on the DTP.
HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL: A list of EU criticisms now
includes the Semdinli incident, according to the Hurriyet daily.
EU-Turkey Association Council will also discuss Semdinli
concerns during the meeting that will be held in Luxemburg on
June 12 and 14. The judicial process for the Semdinli case
should continue within the boundaries of rule of law and
judicial criteria, says the EU.
SABAH: BTC (Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline) security team
found a valve 11 kilometers away from the Ceyhan district in
Adana, which was installed by thieves aiming to steal petroleum
from the pipeline. This recent development will delay the
ceremonies marking the arrival of petroleum to Ceyhan which was
envisaged as May 27.
EVRENSEL: The daily reported that The Washington Times, a
newspaper in the U.S. reportedly close to fundamentalists in the
U.S., reported it as good news that there were hundreds of
Christian missionaries in the Arbil province of Iraq. The U.S.
evangelists have reportedly been striving to proselytize the
Kurds in the Autonomous Kurdish Region in Iraq.
EVRENSEL: First general assembly of DTP, which will be held
next month, will reportedly determine the structural character
of legal Kurdish politics. That assembly will reportedly shed
light on which route the DTP will choose to follow next. There
are debates going on within party ranks whether to annul the
co-chairmanship model and introduce a single national leadership
in response to Turkish Supreme Court objections to the
co-chairmanship model. Another issue on the agenda of the party
is whether to form alliances with other leftist political
parties in the next elections or to take part in the elections
with independent candidates.
OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Hakkari provincial chairperson said that
people in Hakkari have been feeling uneasy about the explosions
which have resumed in the province. The chairperson reminded
the people that the last explosion took place (see press summary
05/22) in front of the apartment building where Sabahattin
Suvagci, former DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) provincial
chairperson, was living in Hakkari.
OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Kars provincial party organization will
protest the reported attempt to ban the speaking of Kurdish in
jails. DTP party members in Kars will speak no other language
than Kurdish for one week in Kars.
BOLGE / EVRENSEL / EKSPRES / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Rector,
vice-rectors, faculty members, students, members of Adana
Chamber of Doctors, Association for University Faculty Members,
Egitim-Sen Adana Branch members participated in a march held on
the Cukurova University campus in Adana (see press summary
05/25) to protest the May-17 gun attack on the Council of State
in Ankara.
RADIKAL: Mayor (from AKP) of Izgin Township in
Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district has been detained when
historical artifacts dated to Roman-Byzantium and Ottoman times
were found in his car. An undocumented Glock-brand gun has also
been found in the car.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Forty-six Pakistani people, who have entered
the country illegally, were caught in Agri's Dogubeyazit
district.
BOLGE: Gaziantep police found sixty-five kilograms of
heroin hidden in secret sections of a truck on a road between
Gaziantep and Osmaniye.
BOLGE / EKSPRES / ZAMAN: Delegates of parliamentary
commission for investigating causes of problems on production
ADANA 00000127 002 OF 002
and exports of fresh vegetables and fruits and citrus fruits
have arrived in Adana and held a meeting to discuss the problems
with Adana farmers. During the meeting, people reportedly fired
criticisms at Vahit Kirisci, Adana deputy from AKP, who told the
farmers in Adana to remove the citrus fruit trees and cultivate
canola.
RADIKAL: For the first time in Hakkari, a woman muhtar
(headman) candidate will run in the muhtar elections in
Hakkari's Merzan quarter.
SABAH (GUNEY): The capers cultivated in Marsin's Savur
district will be processed in a factory built at the same area
and will be marketed in domestic markets and Europe.
RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEMZ: Fuel tank of a car, which
was converted to LPG system, exploded when the car crashed into
another car in Mus. Three people were killed in the accident
and six people have been wounded.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Two soldiers have reportedly been wounded
during the clash that took place between soldiers and PKK
members in Sirnak's Silopi district. Separately, the daily
claimed that six village guards in Van's Saray district refused
to take part in a military operation and gave their arms back to
district jandarma command.
SABAH (GUNEY): During the assembly meeting of Union of
Turkish Municipalities in Ankara, Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek and
20 other mayors demanded that Adana Mayor Aytac Durak resign
from chairmanship of the union.
REID
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 26, 2006
DThis is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 26, 2006.
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 / OZGUR GUNDEM: U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson, who
met with Kurdish politicians and human rights association
administrators in Ankara, will come to Diyarbakir with an
accompanying delegation to hold meetings with Diyarbakir Mayor
Osman Baydemir, Diyarbakir Bar Association Chairperson Sezgin
Tanrikulu, and Southeastern Industrialists and Businessmen
Association Chairperson Sahismail Bedirhanoglu. Wilson will go
to Mardin and Sanliurfa later. Yeni Safak daily pointed out
that Wilson's not meeting with DTP representatives in Ankara was
interpreted as the U.S. imposing an embargo on the DTP.
HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL: A list of EU criticisms now
includes the Semdinli incident, according to the Hurriyet daily.
EU-Turkey Association Council will also discuss Semdinli
concerns during the meeting that will be held in Luxemburg on
June 12 and 14. The judicial process for the Semdinli case
should continue within the boundaries of rule of law and
judicial criteria, says the EU.
SABAH: BTC (Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline) security team
found a valve 11 kilometers away from the Ceyhan district in
Adana, which was installed by thieves aiming to steal petroleum
from the pipeline. This recent development will delay the
ceremonies marking the arrival of petroleum to Ceyhan which was
envisaged as May 27.
EVRENSEL: The daily reported that The Washington Times, a
newspaper in the U.S. reportedly close to fundamentalists in the
U.S., reported it as good news that there were hundreds of
Christian missionaries in the Arbil province of Iraq. The U.S.
evangelists have reportedly been striving to proselytize the
Kurds in the Autonomous Kurdish Region in Iraq.
EVRENSEL: First general assembly of DTP, which will be held
next month, will reportedly determine the structural character
of legal Kurdish politics. That assembly will reportedly shed
light on which route the DTP will choose to follow next. There
are debates going on within party ranks whether to annul the
co-chairmanship model and introduce a single national leadership
in response to Turkish Supreme Court objections to the
co-chairmanship model. Another issue on the agenda of the party
is whether to form alliances with other leftist political
parties in the next elections or to take part in the elections
with independent candidates.
OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Hakkari provincial chairperson said that
people in Hakkari have been feeling uneasy about the explosions
which have resumed in the province. The chairperson reminded
the people that the last explosion took place (see press summary
05/22) in front of the apartment building where Sabahattin
Suvagci, former DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) provincial
chairperson, was living in Hakkari.
OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Kars provincial party organization will
protest the reported attempt to ban the speaking of Kurdish in
jails. DTP party members in Kars will speak no other language
than Kurdish for one week in Kars.
BOLGE / EVRENSEL / EKSPRES / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Rector,
vice-rectors, faculty members, students, members of Adana
Chamber of Doctors, Association for University Faculty Members,
Egitim-Sen Adana Branch members participated in a march held on
the Cukurova University campus in Adana (see press summary
05/25) to protest the May-17 gun attack on the Council of State
in Ankara.
RADIKAL: Mayor (from AKP) of Izgin Township in
Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district has been detained when
historical artifacts dated to Roman-Byzantium and Ottoman times
were found in his car. An undocumented Glock-brand gun has also
been found in the car.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Forty-six Pakistani people, who have entered
the country illegally, were caught in Agri's Dogubeyazit
district.
BOLGE: Gaziantep police found sixty-five kilograms of
heroin hidden in secret sections of a truck on a road between
Gaziantep and Osmaniye.
BOLGE / EKSPRES / ZAMAN: Delegates of parliamentary
commission for investigating causes of problems on production
ADANA 00000127 002 OF 002
and exports of fresh vegetables and fruits and citrus fruits
have arrived in Adana and held a meeting to discuss the problems
with Adana farmers. During the meeting, people reportedly fired
criticisms at Vahit Kirisci, Adana deputy from AKP, who told the
farmers in Adana to remove the citrus fruit trees and cultivate
canola.
RADIKAL: For the first time in Hakkari, a woman muhtar
(headman) candidate will run in the muhtar elections in
Hakkari's Merzan quarter.
SABAH (GUNEY): The capers cultivated in Marsin's Savur
district will be processed in a factory built at the same area
and will be marketed in domestic markets and Europe.
RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEMZ: Fuel tank of a car, which
was converted to LPG system, exploded when the car crashed into
another car in Mus. Three people were killed in the accident
and six people have been wounded.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Two soldiers have reportedly been wounded
during the clash that took place between soldiers and PKK
members in Sirnak's Silopi district. Separately, the daily
claimed that six village guards in Van's Saray district refused
to take part in a military operation and gave their arms back to
district jandarma command.
SABAH (GUNEY): During the assembly meeting of Union of
Turkish Municipalities in Ankara, Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek and
20 other mayors demanded that Adana Mayor Aytac Durak resign
from chairmanship of the union.
REID