SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 10, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000182 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 10, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 10, ¶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 EKSPRES / BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY) / EVRENSEL: Eric Green, the U.S. Consul in Adana, paid a courtesy call to the Governor Adana. When asked by journalists during this visit about transportation of materiel from Incirlik airbase to the NATO port in Mersin's Silifke district, Mr. Green said that it was a routine process as far as he knew. Journalists further asked Consul Green on recent media reports about whether the U.S. would appoint a special representative to coordinate the steps that will be taken in countering the PKK. Green said they were waiting a clarification from Wahington about that and that he had no further comments on the issue. Mr. Green said that the Consulate and the Governor's Office had always enjoyed continuous warm relationships and expressed his gratefulness to the Turkish authorities for the assistance they provided during the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Lebanon. EKSPRES: The U.S. authorities at Incirlik Air Base said that the materiel transported from the base was unusable military materiel derived from a routine inventory check made biennially. The materiel will reportedly be sent to the U.S. via a military vessel that will arrive at the NATO port on August 15. BOLGE / EKSPRES / EVRENSEL / YENI SAFAK: The dailies reported that another fleet of trucks carried materiel from Incirlik Air Base to the port in Mersin. Evrensel daily alleges that, since Turkey does not allow aircraft carrying military ammunition to take off from Incirlik Air Base, such ammunition is being allegedly moved by trucks to the port in order to be shipped to the Greek side of Cyprus. Yeni Safak daily reported that the U.S. Embassy announced that the trucks dispatched from Incirlik were operating in coordination with the Turkish General Staff. EKSPRES: Ummuhan Bayram, Chairperson of women's branch of Adana's BBP (Grand Unity Party),who said that they were boycotting products of Israel and the U.S., made a call to the people to do the same. Bayram said they had collected 5,000 signatures from women to protest and stop "the massacre Israel carried out against people of Lebanon and Palestine." EVRENSEL: 150 members of EMEP (The Party of Labor) held a press announcement in Elazig and protested Israel's Zionism. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Istanbul 12th Heavy Penalty Court lifted the ban on Ozgur Gundem daily's publication and dissemination. The newspaper appeared on shelves back again today (see press summary 08/08). BOLGE / EKSPRES: Tacidar Seyhan, Adana deputy from CHP, brought allegations about the U.S. transporting weapons and war materiel from Incirlik Air Base to Israel to the agenda of the Turkish Parliament. BOLGE: Members of Adana branch of Memur-Sen (Union of Civil Servants) staged a protest against Israel's offensive on Lebanon. BOLGE / YENI SAFAK: Jandarma Intelligence Directorate of Hatay's Jandarma Command, upon receiving a tip-off, conducted an operation on a Syrian-plated truck that would have travelled to Syria via Hatay's Cilvegozu Border Gate. Jandarma teams found 74 automatic hunting guns, 227 blank pistols (9mm),and 24,700 cartridges. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / HURRIYET: To prevent DTP (Democratic Society Party) from winning to win more seats in the parliament in case election threshold gets lowered, AKP officials launched fresh efforts to impose a conditional 2 or 3 per cent threshold for independent lawmakers. Despite alleged plans against DTP's future representation in the parliament, DTP has been making preparations for launching 'Democratic Election Campaign.' OZGUR GUNDEM: CHP Deputy national chairman Onur Oymen said that if the U.S. appoints a political representative concerning issues about the PKK, Turkey, in the end, would be forced to see the PKK as a legitimate interlocutor. OZGUR GUNDEM: Members of the Initiative for Preservation of ADANA 00000182 002 OF 002 Hasankeyf made a call to people to show their reaction against the Ilisu Dam Project by sending fax messages and e-mails to the Austrian, German and Swiss companies, which are financing the project. YENI SAFAK: Turkish Armed Forces continues to dispatch military units to the districts located near the border area in Hakkari to prevent PKK members' infiltrations into the country. REID