SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 03, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000212 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 03, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 03, ¶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 SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLG / HURRIYET / ZAMAN: Police found out that the PKK terrorist who was caught in the intercity bus terminal of Adana with 6 kilograms of C-4 explosives (see press summary for October 2) had received military and political training in the camps located in Iran and Iraq between 2003 and 2004, and was later sent to Turkey to carry out terrorist activities. The terrorist was formerly the private tailor of the terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan. ¶3. HURRIYET / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Two children aged 13 and 6 found a rocket propelled grenade in Bingol's Yedisu district and played with it. The grenade then exploded and wounded the children. ¶4. ZAMAN: Armored personnel carriers and military materiel that were brought to Mardin's Nusaybin district via train at 11.30 p.m. are dispatched to military units located at the border area in Sirnak's Silopi and Cizre districts in order to be used at possible military operations. ¶5. ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM: Iraqi Government appointed Shirwan el-Waaily, a Shia Minister Responsible for Security Affairs, as its special envoy in countering the PKK and the Iraqi government submitted el-Waaily's name officially to Ankara over the weekend. El-Waaily has a military background and has close ties with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri el-Maliki. ¶6. EVRENSEL: The daily comments that cease-fire process is being jeopardized by the operations going on in the southeastern region. While the Turkish Armed Forces launched one of the largest-scale military operations in its history in Hakkari (see press summary for October 02),Second Army Commander General Hasan Sigsiz reportedly said that the fight will go on until no terrorist is left in the mountains. The daily also points out that Iraqi Government has also appointed an envoy for countering the PKK. ¶7. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Hilmi Aydogdu, DTP Provincial Chairperson in Diyarbakir, made a press announcement on behalf of the Kurdish organizations in the province before a 500-person audience in the provincial theater hall, extended support for PKK's cease-fire, and said that that historic opportunity should be seized. Democratic organizations in Van also extended support for the cease-fire and made a call for ending the operations. Chairperson of Van Chapter of Human Rights Association pointed out that despite Turkey passed through a five-year peaceful period between 1999 and 2004, it did not take satisfactory steps in resolving the Kurdish issue then. Hundreds of people gathered at the Kiziltepe Branch of DTP in Mardin and marched to a main square in the district to extend support to DTP and cease-fire. ¶8. OZGUR GUNDEM: A conflict took place between PKK members and security officers in Diyarbakir's Silvan district, and two PKK members allegedly died. ¶9. ZAMAN ONLINE: Selahattin Kaya, a former administrative attachi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Bingol Mayor (between 1989 and 1994),talked with a journalist from Aksiyon magazine on the PKK issue. Kaya said that the PKK's cease-fire did not involve an element of seriousness in essence, because as the winter was approaching in the region, the fighting capability of the PKK was decreasing. Kaya said that PKK, in its nature, was not an organization for peace, rather it was a warring mechanism. DTP's call for peace provided the grounds for the PKK for the cease-fire it longed for, according to Kaya. Separately, the (Turkish) military unacceptably engaged itself in politics as it collected garbage in Hakkari to protest its Municipality for ignoring routine tasks (Note: The Municipality "engaged itself in divisive acts" instead, see press summary for September 26. End Note.),according to Kaya. ¶10. OZGUR GUNDEM: Diyarbakir's Sixth Heavy Penalty Court will start the trial brought against Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir for his remarks made as he attempted to calm down the people during violent demonstrations that took place in Diyarbakir in March following the burial of 4 PKK terrorists. ADANA 00000212 002 OF 002 Baydemir reportedly had said then, "14 people (PKK members) died, 3 more were killed in the demonstrations, and we should not let our death toll increase to 18." Baydemir is reportedly facing ten years in prison for upholding members of the PKK. ¶11. ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / CNNTURK ONLINE: Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE),which would discuss on Friday (10/06) the report on "The Cultural Status of the Kurds", which was created by the English Parliamentarian Lord-Russel Johnston, decided to discuss the report earlier, on Wednesday (10/04),as a result of pressure exerted by the head of the French delegation. The report, which dwelt on the cultural status of Kurds living in Iraq, Iran and Syria, depicted the Kurds as one of the biggest communities of the world without a state. The report recommends that those states where Kurds lived should be encouraged not to see the cultural rights of the Kurds as a threat for themselves, but as a cultural heritage. Meanwhile, Rene Van der Linden, spokesperson of the PACE, announced that he was pleased with the PKK's cease-fire decision. ¶12. RADIKAL / ZAMAN / SABAH (GUNEY) / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE: Karatas District Municipality's Assembly, which is comprised of 4 members from AKP, 3 members from CHP and 2 members from DYP, elected under tight security measures the new mayor for Karatas, which is a seaside resort in Adana having 27,000 population. (Note: The case of the former Mayor Yusuf Erenkara [from AKP], who was killed with his brother on September 22 in a gun attack [see press summaries for September 25, 26 and October 1], is still under police investigation. End Note.) The new mayor, Metin Catalbas [from CHP], who held a press announcement at the headquarters of Adana's AK Party together with AKP Adana Provincial Chairperson Mustafa Attaroglu, told journalists he joined the ranks of AKP. Bolge daily is surprised that a CHP municipality assembly member instantly became an AKP mayor in one night. CHP Provincial Chairperson Serdar Seyhan finds the development unethical and says that Catalbas had not submitted his formal resignation to CHP yet. Catalbas, for his part, said that he supported the joining of Karatas to the Adana Municipality. Catalbas further portrayed the former Karatas mayor as an "honest and hardworking" person and did not further comment on Adana Mayor's recent remarks about the Karatas Municipality [see press summary for October 1]. Attaroglu extended support for Catalbas. Catalbas is reportedly engaged in fishing trade in Karatas. ¶13. HURRIYET / RADIKAL: A 36-year-old woman was killed in Gaziantep by her brother, reportedly in the name of honor, after the two quarreled over why the woman ran away from her husband, with whom she had an unofficial marriage relationship. The woman had reportedly eloped with that man 8 years ago without her family's consent and had recently returned home because of problems she had with her husband. ¶14. EKSPRES / OZGUR GUNDEM: Members of Kamu-Sen (Confederation of Public Employees Unions) held a protest against the bomb incident which took place in front of the Mersin State Hospital on Sunday (10/01). ¶15. CUMHURIYET / SABAH (GUNEY) / EKSPRES / BOLGE / HURRIYET / ZAMAN: Unidentified thieves opened fire on a car traveling from Adana to Gaziantep province. The driver, who was a jeweler, died and his aide was seriously wounded. The thieves stole 10 kilograms of gold from the car. ¶16. EVRENSEL: On the day that marked World's Architects' Day members of Chamber of Architects in Adana gathered at the Old Roman Bridge in the city center and demanded resumption of the renovation project of the bridge, which was recently suspended due to shortage of funding. GREEN