SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 07, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000198 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 07, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 7, ¶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 ZAMAN / EKSPRES / BOLGE: CHP National Leader Deniz Baykal will arrive at Adana on September 8 to travel to Mersin by car. Baykal will attend the opening ceremony of international cultural festival of Mersin. SABAH (GUNEY): CHP Adana Provincial Chairperson Serdar Seyhan made a strongly worded announcement against government which enabled passing of a motion at the Turkish Parliament concerning dispatch of troops to Lebanon. Seyhan compared AKP to a subcontractor working for the U.S in the Middle East. RADIKAL: It is reported the main hub through which Turkish troops will be dispatched and logistical support will be sent to Lebanon will be designated as the port of Mersin. Turkey is also considering using Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a base for sending troops to Lebanon. EVRENSEL: Inonu University Rector Fatih Hilmioglu expressed disapproval of the parliament motion allowing sending of Turkish troops to Lebanon. The rector described Turkey as a country being mandated and its soldiers were made into bargaining chips. Malatya Governor Halil Ibrahim Dasoz strongly reacted to the remarks of the rector. OZGUR GUNDEM: An explosion took place in a storage house where smuggled fuel oil was being traded in Van. One person died in the explosion and two people were heavily wounded. The fire caused by the explosion spread to the other canisters containing fuel-oil in the storage house. The businesses in the environs have been evacuated because of further explosion risk. RADIKAL / ZAMAN / EVRENSEL /OZGUR GUNDEM: Ersoy Bulut, Mersin deputy from SHP (Social Democratic People's Party),resigned from his party because of the policies SHP pursued over the Kurdish and PKK issues. Bulut is the third deputy recently resigning from the party for being unhappy about party policies. According to Bulut, SHP should declare that it will not form alliances with parties aiming to divide the country. OZGUR GUNDEM / RADIKAL: The funeral of ten-year-old Mizgin Ozbek, who died allegedly when fired upon by soldiers in Batman's Kozluk district the previous day, was held in a village of Kozluk (see press summary for September 05 and 06). Meanwhile, a delegation from the Batman Chapter of Human Rights Association and Batman Bar Association, which was set up to probe the killing, is expected to visit the Kozluk district soon. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily dismisses the allegations placed by Turkish General Chief of Staff that Abubekir Polat, a soldier of Kurdish origin, had leaked information to the PKK, enabled the PKK to carry out a September 1 attack which killed two soldiers at Jandarma Battalion Command of in Hakkari's Cukurca district, and escaped from his military unit afterwards (see press summary for September 5). According to the daily, Polat admitted guilt as a result of torture he suffered after being caught. According to Polat's father, Polat escaped from his unit because of the oppression he suffered during his military service. ZAMAN: The daily reported that PKK's regional chief for Erzurum was killed in the clash that took place on September 1 in a rural section located between Erzincan, Bingol and Tunceli. OZGUR GUNDEM: Attorneys of Abdullah Ocalan were allegedly not allowed to see their client this week, as well. ZAMAN / EKSPRES: Nineteen Iraqi nationals, who entered the country illegally, were caught in an operation Adana Provincial Jandarma conducted in Adana's Ceyhan district. Iraqi nationals reportedly entered the country from northern Iraq, arrived at the Sirnak province on foot and were traveling to Istanbul to go abroad. ZAMAN: Customs Gate officials at the Cilvegozu Border Gate in Hatay's Reyhanli district seized 176,600 packets of smuggled cigarettes which were worth 700,000 YTL in hidden sections of a truck which attempted to enter the country. ADANA 00000198 002 OF 002 EKSPRES / BOLGE: Adana Security Directorate opened a stand at the Cukurova University to deliver brochures to students and inform them about illegal entities and organizations during the ongoing student registrations at the university. EKSPRES: Ismet Altug, Chairperson of Bar Association in Adana made an announcement to mark the opening of the new judicial year. GREEN