SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 13 AND 14,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000108 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 13 AND 14, ¶2007. ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 13 and 14, 2007. Please note Turkish press reports often contain errors or exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for the accuracy of the reports summarized here. POLITICAL: ¶2. RADIKAL / BOLGE / EVRENSEL / ZAMAN / HURRIYET: President Abdullah Gul conducted the first official visit of his term to southeastern Turkey. Following his travel to Van, Gul arrived in Hakkari province's Siirt where he was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd. Zaman daily reported the visit to the province was the first by a Turkish president in 25 years. In Siirt, Gul called on the Governor and provincial NGOs. Gul reportedly forget he was fasting for Ramazan and drank a glass of water. Evrensel daily quotes Hakkari Bar Association Chairman Nevzat Anuk as telling Gul the issues in the region were all linked to the Kurdish issue. Anuk told reporters President Gul did not made any single comment on what he said and remained silent and taking notes. Gul did not invite local DTP administrators, administrators of Human Rights Association, or KESK (Confederation of Public Employee Unions) leaders to the meeting held with local figures at the Governor's Office. Gul later flew to Sirnak in a military helicopter and landed in the 23rd Jandarma Border Division Command to chat with soldiers on duty. Gul's last stop in his trip in the region will be Diyarbakir today. Representatives of nearly 30 civil society organizations in Diyarbakir, including GUNSIAD (South-eastern Businessmen Association) and KAMER (Women's Center),will come together to convey the common issues of concern in the province. Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, who said they would be pleased to see the president in Diyarbakir, hoped that they would be able to give Gul a report generated by the Municipality. ¶3. SABAH (GUNEY): A U.S. delegation headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Colleen Graffy called on the Deputy Governor of Mersin reports the September-13 edition of the daily. Deputy Mayor Ertan briefed Dr. Graffy about Mersin and the issues of importance in the province. Dr. Graffy expressed sincere American appreciation for Mersin's support during the evacuation of U.S. nationals from Lebanon following Israel's offensive in early summer in ¶2006. ¶4. RADIKAL: On the 1996 case of a military captain fatally beating a shop owner in Diyarbakir's Cermisk district, the European Court of Human Rights decreed that fair prosecution process was not observed, a person's right to life was transgressed, and torture was tolerated; the Court fined Turkey in the amount of 30,000 Euros. SECURITY ¶5. HURRIYET / YENI SAFAK: Three village guards were wounded when a PKK mine exploded during a night patrol in Siirt's Eruh district. Separately, in Bingol's Genc district, in clashes with PKK terrorists three security guards were wounded. ¶6. ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET: A commissioned officer died when a military vehicle had an accident in a village of Agri. Four soldiers were wounded in the accident. ¶7. HURRIYET: Four PKK members were killed in clashes in rural areas of Siirt. Security personnel separately found a PKK shelter in Siirt's Pervari district where 12 Kalashnikov guns and ammunition were stored. (This summary is from September 13 edition.) CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT ¶8. SABAH (GUNEY): Marine Forces Command staged a live environmental disaster exercise off the port of Mersin. The exercise aimed to strengthen coordination between military and civilian forces to better respond to sea-based environmental disasters. ¶9. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / ZAMAN: Malatya and Sanliurfa Municipalities set up tents in several locations of the two provinces to provide iftaar dinner to nearly 1500 people every day in two provinces. ¶10. BOLGE: The community of the Antakya Christian Orthodox Church issued a celebratory statement in honor of the ADANA 00000108 002 OF 002 ¶2007. month of Ramadan on a banner hung in the city center. GREEN