SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000200 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 12, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 12, ¶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 OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily claimed that three soldiers died in two separate clashes that took place between soldiers and PKK terrorists in a road between Dicle-Ergani districts and Bingol's Genc district. ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK: DTP Chairperson Ahmet Turk held a press announcement with Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, Tunceli Mayor Songul Erol Adil, and DTP Co-Chairperson Ayesel Tugluk, and made a call to the PKK to declare unilateral ceasefire in order to start a peaceful and democratic dialogue to resolve the Kurdish issue. ZAMAN / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE: Eric Green, U.S. Consul in Adana, paid a visit to the Association for Solidarity with the Families of Martyrs from the Security Services in Adana. Green was welcomed by a veteran who had lost his legs in operations in northern Iraq. "I wish I could stand up to welcome you. I would not loose my legs had the US extended timely support to Turkey," the veteran said. The newspapers reported that the words of the veteran cast a chill over the Consul. Consul Green, for his part, said that more than 3000 people died five years ago on September 11 in the U.S. and among those killed were also Turkish nationals. From then onwards, the U.S. started to see terrorism differently. Mr. Green said that he thought it would be right on the anniversary of 9/11 to visit people who suffered from terrorism and from similar horrible tragedies. EVRENSEL: The daily cites Hurriyet mainstream newspaper as alleging on its September 11 edition that the PKK "launched very insidious plans" to counter the public reaction that had recently soared because of the increasing number of soldiers dying in clashes in southeastern Turkey. According to Hurriyet, PKK is planning to sympathize with the families of the martyrs during the funerals in order to breed reactions against the government and the military. According to Evrensel daily, the article that appeared on Hurriyet is also holding Hatip Dicle, the former DEP deputy, and Mothers for Peace Initiative as vulnerable to hostile intentions. OZGUR GUNDEM: PKK reportedly claims that the death of a 10-year-old girl and two PKK guerillas in a car on September 5 in Batman's Kozluk district was allegedly an execution since no traces were found indicating that there was a clash at the time of the incident. OZGUR GUNDEM: Emine Bozkurt, Rapporteur of the European Parliament's Women's Rights Commission, evaluated the rights of the women in Turkey and created a report on that. According to Bozkurt's report the reforms concerning women's rights have remained only on papers to date in Turkey. OZGUR GUNDEM: MHP reportedly launched efforts to strengthen its political base in the Tunceli province. OZGUR GUNDEM: A person in civilian attire taking photographs of each student, who are members of Dicle University's Student's Society in Diyarbakir, as the students stood at the stands they opened in order to help the students who are newly registering to the university have reportedly caused disturbance. When the students asked the person's identity, he reportedly said he was from Association for Ataturkist Thinking. OZGUR GUNDEM: People opened fire in the air with shotguns as they celebrated a wedding ceremony in Van's Saray district accidentally killed a 31 year-old person. OZGUR GUNDEM: People from two villages of Kars province marched to the Governor's Office and protested the authorities for not addressing the problem of lack of potable water in their villages. OZGUR GUNDEM: A quarrel between two families turned into a fight in Sanliurfa's Hilvan district and one person died from gunfire by a member of one of the families. Three people were wounded. OZGUR GUNDEM: An international human rights organization ADANA 00000200 002 OF 002 said that conditions have not become suitable in Turkey for Syriacs to return back to Turkey. The organization reportedly said that Turkey must make sure that the Syriacs return to a safe environment. OZGUR GUNDEM: A fire broke out in forest land near two villages in Sirnak's Silopi district. Allegations surfaced that military personnel returning from operations set the forest on fire. ZAMAN: Quarantine has been imposed on five districts of Hatay because of rabies disease that recently affected those areas. SABAH (GUNEY): A group of people calling themselves "Solidarity Platform for Middle Eastern People" protested the Turkish Parliament which ratified the motion to send Turkish troops to Lebanon. EVRENSEL: Construction works on the road in Hakkari connecting the province to Van province and constituting the only outlet of the province to the rest of the world have recently ended (see press summary 09/11) after seven days of work. RADIKAL: Concerning the security vulnerability scandal at the Diyarbakir Military Airport which appeared in yesterday's newspaper reports, the daily quoted an announcement by the Diyarbakir Governor's Office: "An old and sick woman was escorted by her daughter to the stairs of the plane with the permission of security personnel who exercised good-will judgment. However, since this breached security issues, an investigation has been started against the personnel." GREEN