Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ADANA10
2007-01-17 07:10:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:
SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 15, 2007
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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
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