SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 19, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000243 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 19, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 19, ¶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 ZAMAN / EVRENSEL: One hundred and fifty people attended a march organized by Movement of Union of Patriotic Forces in Diyarbakir which initially claimed that three hundred thousand people would attend the march. Reportedly, only 250-meter section of the 4000-meter-long flag was unfolded since there were not that much people to carry the flag. Most of the crowd was reportedly comprised of children, and it is alleged that 10 YTL was given to children to attend the march. ZAMAN: The Minister of Public Works and Settlement paid a visit to Hatay's Iskenderun district to assess areas badly hit by recent flooding. BOLGE / ZAMAN: The Director of the Topkapi Museum and historian Professor Ilber Ortayli gave a speech organized by the Seyhan Municipality in Adana. Ortayli responded to the Armenian genocide allegations and said that what happened was the deportation of Armenians from some regions in Turkey in order to provide security for the war front. ZAMAN: The Supreme Court's list for terrorist organizations now includes a not very well-known Syriac organization called "Beyth Nahrin National Liberation Army" which reportedly aims to start armed struggle in an area between Iraq and Turkey to found a new independent state for Syriacs. EVRENSEL: Su TV, which is backed by many Alevi associations, will launch its first live programs on November 20, 2006. RADIKAL / ZAMAN: The funeral of a 27-year-old commissioned officer, who died during a military operation in Bingol's Yayladere district on an unspecified date, was held in Kayseri province. SECURITY EVRENSEL / RADIKAL: The scale of the military operation going on for four days in the triangle between Tunceli's Nazimiye and Pulumur districts and Bingol's Yayaladere district has been widening. Six PKK members and three soldiers have reportedly died so far. ECONOMY HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / ZAMAN: Automobile, Commercial Vehicles, and Motorcycles Fair of Mersin has been opened. The fair will last six days. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / ZAMAN: Organizers of the Fourth Cukurova Industry and Commerce Fair in Adana said that the number of foreign visitors to the fair will reach 3000 towards the end of the fair. Meanwhile, Osmaniye Governor visited the fair and saw the stands of the companies from Osmaniye. Separately, Aytac Durak, Mayor of Adana, mitigated the negative reactions of chairmen of political parties in Adana who were not invited to the fair by inviting them to the fair. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Thanks to the renovation efforts taken at the Cilvegozu Border Gate with Syria at Hatay's Reyhanli district, the lines of trucks waiting at the border gate have been eliminated. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): The Association for Businesswomen in Adana held a meeting called "Women in the Path towards the EU." The Chairperson of the association said that women entrepreneurs in Turkey had the skills to compete with the rest of the world. ZAMAN: Irrigation unions from Jordan and GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft f|r Technische Zusammenarbeit) paid a visit to the irrigation unions operating in Adana's Ceyhan district, talked and exchanged ideas with authorities for three hours there. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE: Andrew Wilson, Vice Consul to Adana, gave a speech called "Study in the U.S." to the students of a high school in Adana. Students were very interested in the ADANA 00000243 002 OF 002 speech topic and asked Mr. Wilson many questions. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Turkish Electricity Distribution Corporation officials, who went to a village in Adana to cut power to the village because of the villagers' accumulated debts to the authority, was attacked by the villagers and were prevented from cutting the power feeding the village. BOLGE / ZAMAN / EVRENSEL: A dog having rabies bit eight persons in a village of Adana's Ceyhan district. Quarantine has been imposed and necessary measures have been taken in the village by the authorities. BOLGE / ZAMAN: Seyhan Municipality in Adana sent machines and work tools to Hatay's Iskenderun district, which has been badly affected by flooding, to help the municipality there in their restoration efforts. ZAMAN: The pollution Van Lake has become more apparent bacuse the garbage dumped into the lake by the surrounding settlements has reached the shore because of waves created by ongoing heavy rains in the region. GREEN