SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 02, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000211 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 02, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 02, ¶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 HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / EVRENSEL / BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY) / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: Three people were wounded in a blast that took place at 12.20 p.m. in front of the emergency unit of the Mersin State Hospital in Mersin. The bomb was placed on a bicycle left on front of the hospital. Windows of cars and buildings in the surrounding area were broken. The police suspect that the bomb was made up of C-4. ¶3. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: The dailies drew attention to three bombs that had exploded at separate times in different places last week in Mersin. Since the last bomb incident coincided with the PKK's ceasefire declaration, the dailies report that those incidents are raising suspicions in people's minds. The dailies further report the formation of a group in the province whose members were reportedly made up of retired soldiers and police officers. This group is reportedly called the Union of Patriotic Forces. ¶4. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Various circles reportedly received October 1 ceasefire declaration of the PKK with enthusiasm. DTP will solicit appointment from the premier for the start of a possible ceasefire process and DTP officials are planning later to meet with the other parties like DYP, ANAP, DSP, etc., as well. Reportedly, PM Erdogan's first reaction to the PKK's ceasefire news as he talked with journalists during his travel to the U.S. to meet with the U.S. President Bush was that they would see how sincere the intentions were and how healthy the situation was. Ozgur Gundem daily perceives premier's first reaction to the ceasefire as moderate. The dailies further list the conditions set by the PKK as follows: 1- The ceasefire will continue indefinitely, depending on the developments that would take place and measures that would be taken. 2-Weapons would never be used in the meantime; this excludes cases when efforts are launched to destroy the PKK. 3-Other forces, not linked with the PKK and directly affiliated with Abdullah Ocalan should also abide by the ceasefire rules. 4-All of the organizations, cadres and institutions in the region working in the ideological, political, social and organizational arenas, should work toward the success of the peace process. 5-The three-envoy-structure for resolving the PKK issue should not escalate the problems by trying to eradicate the PKK, rather it should work towards solving the issue by implementing a democratic project. The PKK reportedly reached the ceasefire decision following PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's call for the PKK to issue a ceasefire. ¶5. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: AKP Diyarbakir Provincial Chairperson Abdurrahman Kurt, DYP Diyarbakir Provincial Chairperson Galip Ensarioglu, the Chairperson of Diyarbakir's Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the Chairperson of Diyarbakir Bar Association, each made similar statements calling the ceasefire a historic opportunity that should not be missed. The dailies further cite similar comments from Esat Canan, CHP deputy from Hakkari; Hayri Kozanoglu, National Chairperson of ODP (Freedom and Solidarity Party),Yusuf Alatas, Chairperson of Human Rights Association, etc. ¶6. RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani held an interview with a Greek newspaper and said that Turkey should issue a general amnesty for the PKK militants currently located in the Mountain Qandil of Iraq. PKK militants there are reportedly anticipating such an amnesty, according to Talabani. The daily further cited Talabani as saying that as a regional player, the PKK had always upset the sense of trust between Turkey and Iraq. According to Talabani, the PKK had no future. ¶7. EVRENSEL: The military operation launched in rural sections of Sirnak's Beytussebap district continued yesterday. Meanwhile, dozens of tanks from the Tank Battalion in Sirnak's Cizre district made a "show of force" in the city center yesterday. ¶8. OZGUR GUNDEM / RADIKAL: The military operation that was started in the 3,300-meter-high Sat Mountains in Hakkari against PKK guerillas reportedly continued yesterday. It is reported that the scale of that operation going on in the border area ADANA 00000211 002 OF 002 with Iraq and Iran was one of the largest of the recent years. Radikal daily reports that the operation was initiated against 250 PKK militants who were discovered in the Sat Mountains. ¶9. CUMHURIYET / BOLGE / EKSPRES: A reported PKK terrorist was caught in the intercity bus terminal of Adana with six kilograms of explosives and four hand grenades. The person arrived at the terminal from a rural part of the country. The PKK terrorist planned on carrying out bomb attacks against urban centers, according to the Turkish Police. ¶10. CUMHURIYET: Mardin Governor's Office announced that one terrorist was killed during an operation which was started in Mardin on September 28. ¶11. OZGUR GUNDEM: Firat Anli, Mayor of the Yenisehir District in Diyarbakir, said that from now on two languages, namely Turkish and Kurdish, would be used in official documents of the municipalities (from DTP). This decision was made in a conference of municipalities that was held on an unspecified date. Anli announced that decision during the reception held to mark the opening of Kurdi-Der (Association for Researching and Developing Kurdish Language). ¶12. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): The Mardin Municipality launched a campaign to clean up the city's mosques and churches. ¶13. OZGUR GUNDEM: Two young persons, both of whom were 20 years old, separately committed suicide in Batman, a city which has become notorious for the increase in its suicide rate (see press summary for September 25). ¶14. EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY): Adana Mayor Aytac Durak commented on newspaper reporting on the positive reputation of Yusuf Ernkara, AKP-based mayor of Adana's Karatas district, after he was killed with his brother on September 22 in Adana (see press summary for September 25 and 26). Mayor Durak said that Erenkara had been engaged in irregularities and was not as honest a man as the media depicted him after his murder. Durak further dismissed any personal interest in the elections to be held at the Karatas municipality to determine the new mayor. Durak added that he would not accept any new Karatas Mayor who decided to join the ranks of the Adana Municipality, since corruption had reportedly tainted the name of the Karatas Municipality. (Note: Three candidates will run for mayorship. End Note.) The daily speculates on how people of Karatas district, who have been in mourning since Erenkara's death, will react to Durak's remarks. Meanwhile, Adana's regional representative for Sabah's Guney supplement asks the following questions in his column: Has Karatas district become a center for a smuggling business which has been covering itself under the fishing trade there? Are smuggling networks in Karatas, whose Syria- and Lebanon-based operations are allegedly being ignored by state officials, hindering the development of the tourism sector in the Karatas district? GREEN