SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 31, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000129 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 31, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 31, 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 CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / SABAH / ZAMAN: Two soldiers died in a clash with PKK terrorists in Sirnak's rural areas near the Cudi Mountain, announced the Sirnak Governor's Office. The operations that followed resulted in the death of two terrorists. SABAH / EVRENSEL / YENI SAFAK / CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / SABAH (GUNEY) / ZAMAN: A lawsuit has been instituted against Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir for allocating a municipality ambulance for carrying the coffin of a PKK terrorist, who was killed in March 2005 in Mardin's Derik district. Baydemir, who will face up to one year in prison, said that it was a humane duty extended. If we are requested to do so again, we will comply, said Baydemir. YENI SAFAK: The daily reported that the application of Mayor Baydemir to attend the European Council's Regional and Local Administrations Congress was not accepted. Baydemir reportedly voiced criticism that the Turkish delegation attending the conference was not fully meeting the regional representation requirements. OZGUR GUNDEM: The trial of Semdinli case defendants will continue tomorrow at Van's Third Heavy Penalty Court. The court will continue hearing the statement of PKK defector Veysel Ates. Then, the court will hear the statements of witnesses including the bombed bookstore owner. OZGUR GUNDEM: Ankara 11th Heavy Penalty Court continued to hear the case of Tuncer Bakirhan, former DEHAP national chairperson, and 12 former DEHAP administrators who are accused of using statements such as "Revered Ocalan" and "Ocalan is a counterpart in resolving the Kurdish issue." Bakirhan and his colleagues face one to 3 years in prison and loss of political rights. Separately, an investigation has begun against Hakkari Mayor Metin Tekce who attended a March 18-dated reopening ceremony of the Umut Bookstore in Semdinli, which was bombed on November 9 last year. Illegal slogans were reportedly shouted during the ceremony. CUMHURIYET: DTP Co-Chairperson Ahmet Turk said that the party was insistent on introduction of a general amnesty that would include the terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan. OZGUR GUNDEM: Kurdish Work Group Meeting of Socialist International (SI) in Iraq's Suleymaniyah province ended yesterday evening (see press summary 05/30). General Secretary of SI, members of the work group and DTP co-chairpersons went to Kirkuk yesterday and paid a visit to Kirkuk Governor Abdurrahman Mustafa. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily cited an article from yesterday's Cumhuriyet daily and reported that U.S. and Turkey did not reach a consensus on the PKK issue in the Strategic Vision Document worked out by the two countries (see press summary 05/30). EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Two people, one of whom was a village guard, had an altercation in Diyarbakir's Ergani district because of a reported problem that has been going on between two families for about a year. The village guard fired his gun and killed the person he quarreled with and his son. SABAH: The petroleum, which arrived at the Ceyhan terminus in Adana through Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, will start being loaded today on to a vessel that arrived in Ceyhan over the weekend. EVRENSEL: Diyarbakir's 6th Culture and Arts Festival will start today. SABAH (GUNEY): Bitlis police conducted an operation on the road between Bitlis and Diyarbakir and found 10 kilograms of heroin in a car. ZAMAN: The daily claims that the administration of Diyarbakir's Dicle University has been dismissing faculty members who hold opposing stances. The rector reportedly dismissed 7 professors last year. Recently, another faculty member has been dismissed allegedly for attending a Women Leaders Training Program in Mardin and Sanliurfa last year upon request of the Diyarbakir Governor's Office. ADANA 00000129 002 OF 002 HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: Bilkent University kicked off a project envisaging opening of Bilkent schools at provinces in the southeastern region. Children of teachers, judges, doctors, and engineers appointed in the region will be prioritized after taking an examination for scholarships that will be offered by these schools. Ozgur Gundem describes the project as an attempt to convince public workers to come to the southeastern region through offering educational opportunities for their "privileged" children. EVRENSEL: Kilis Governor Nevzat Turhan got angry when only 30 out of 51 muhtars (headmen) attended a meeting where the services that would be provided for the villages in Kilis would be discussed. EVRENSEL: Workers of the excavation site in Batman's Hasankeyf district, who have launched a strike allegedly because their social security payments were not being paid, have been laid off. OZGUR GUNDEM: Professor Yakin Erturk, BM Rapporteur for Violence against Women, and the four-person delegation accompanying her went from Sanliurfa to Van and held a meeting with representatives of civil society there (see press summary 05/30). EVRENSEL: Women activists, who are members of Diyarbakir Egitim-Sen (Teacher's Union) made a press announcement in Diyarbakir, demanded equal opportunities for women, and condemned all kinds of discrimination and violence. BOLGE: Chairperson of Tradesmen and Artisans in Adana criticized CHP Adana administration for dismissing Bulent Ozulku, a businessman and a CHP delegate, from the party. REID