Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ADANA129
2006-06-01 05:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:  

SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 31, 2006

Tags:  PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU 
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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.


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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