SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 15, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000010 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 15, 2007 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for January 15, ¶2007. 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 EVRENSEL / SABAH / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN: The two-day conference "Turkey is Searching Peace" which was held in Ankara by the Democratic Peace Initiative ended yesterday (see press summary for December 9). According to the Evrensel daily, many people at the conference tried to "have Ankara hear their voices." The daily further points out that none of the state officials or governing bodies, except for the Hakkari deputy from CHP and Adiyaman deputy from AKP, showed any interest in the event or showed up there. The opening remarks of the event were made by Yasar Kemal, one of the well-known literary figures of Turkey. The words "war" and "guerilla" that Kemal used during his address to refer to PKK's activities and terrorists sparked controversy among political circles. Many other speakers, journalists, academicians reportedly sought for ways to achieve a permanent peaceful state for people during their speeches in several sessions of the conference. Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir translated the speech made in Kurdish by one member of "Mothers for Peace" into Turkish. The woman called on people "to end the pain the mothers were suffering." SABAH: Two AKP deputies prepared and submitted a draft law to the Turkish Parliament that envisages amendments on the sixth clause of Anti-Terror Law. The amendments call for sanctions on attorneys who are publicizing Ocalan's remarks after meeting with their client and "reestablishing Ocalan's links with the PKK". Those who publish or divulge the declarations the terrorist leaders are making will face 1 to 3 years of imprisonment if the draft law gets ratified. EVRENSEL / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN: Reported significant discussions are going on within DTP to determine strategies in the face of national elections approaching. As the party assembly reportedly recently convened and conducted self-criticisms, discussions reportedly mainly focused on the frustration that DTP Chairman Ahmet Turk expressed during the mid-December "March For Peace" activity in 2006 that started from Diyarbakir and ended in Ankara. Turk, who later reportedly complained that the people did not show much interest in the activity, sparked intra party discussions. It is regarded as almost definite that the party, which aims to explore ways to create a more applicable charter and to give vigor to the party administration with new names, will hold an extraordinary congress in the upcoming month. BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY) / SABAH / HURRIYET / ZAMAN: DYP leader Mehmet Agar came to Adana for the ceremonial celebration held on the occasion of a former Adana deputy from ANAP (Motherland Party) as he joined the ranks of DYP. Meanwhile, the dailies reported that one of the police officers assigned to the task of providing security for Mr. Agar with other police members, committed suicide in one of the police vehicles as the event was going on. SABAH: A news article The Guardian published, which covered and examined the new strategy the U.S. launched in Iraq last week, also pointed out the increased military activity at Incirlik Air Base in Adana. SECURITY SABAH / ZAMAN: One PKK terrorist was killed during an ongoing military operation in Bingol's Genc district. A private was wounded during the operation. ECONOMY SABAH (GUNEY): With Free Trade Agreement that became effective on January 1st, Adana's economic activities with Syria increased, according to Umit Ozgumus, Chairperson of Adana Chamber of Commerce. Aleppo businessmen reportedly started showing interest in the Adana province. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT SABAH / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: Minister of Transportation said that a three-person delegation sent to Iraq to examine and study the wreckage of the plane that crashed in Iraq with its 29 ADANA 00000010 002 OF 002 Turkish passengers last week, was not able to see and study the wreckage because the site of the incident was already cleared by the U.S. forces. Meanwhile, Hurriyet daily reports statements of a Turkish engineer working at Anaconda Base in Iraq as being told by another Turkish national who reportedly witnessed the event that the day was sunny on that day and the plane caught fire in the air for an unknown reason as it attempted to land on the ground for the second time. Meanwhile, Cumhuriyet daily reports that authorities have still not been able to identify seven coffins brought to Turkey after the incident. People are worried that the coffins might have ended up as having body parts of other people since bodies of the victims were not intact when they arrived. SABAH (GUNEY): Since no rain has fallen for 2.5 months in Adana and its environs, the farmers started to gather and pray for rainfall that would help the wheat they planted grow. GREEN