SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 25, 2007

UNCLAS ADANA 000112 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 25, 2007. Please note Turkish press reports often contain errors or exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for the accuracy of the reports summarized herein. POLITICAL: ¶2. BOLGE: Selahattin Demirtas, Deputy of the Chairperson of the DTP Group at Parliament, harshly criticized AKP Deputy National Chairperson Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat, claiming Firat was pursuing policies in favor of keeping the terrorists fighting in the mountains instead of trying to bring them back to the fold of ordinary civilian life. ¶3. EKSPRES: A controversial proposal to build a hotel in a forested area of was ultimately turned down by Adana Mayor Aytac Durak after local media campaigned against it for environmental reasons. ¶4. EVRENSEL: Members of the BAK group (Global Peace and Justice Commission) in western Izmir province filed a suit with the Council of State demanding closure of Incirlik Airbase in Adana, a reported logistic support staging area for the Iraq war. ¶5. ZAMAN / EVRENSEL: Sixth Heavy Penalty Court of Diyarbakir sentenced two clergymen to ten months in prison for writing and publicly reading a poem lauding the PKK on the eve of Ramazan last year. The poem also called on the PKK to issue a ceasefire, reports the daily. SECURITY ¶6. BOLGE: Security personnel killed a terrorist in a conflict that erupted in Sirnak's Beytussebap district. ¶7. ZAMAN: Terrorists detonated a mine as a cargo train was traveling on the railroad between Elazig and Bitlis's Tatvan district. Four personnel sustained minor injuries. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT ¶8. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY): A 130-centimeter relief sculpture was excavated on Duluk (Doliche),Gaziantep. The relief depicts Jupiter Dolichenus, god of the heavens in Asia Minor, together with his wife Iuno Regina as they are offering gifts to the gods. ¶9. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Well-known U.S. action star Chuck Norris visited the Incirlik Air Base in Adana, speaking with airmen at the base and signing autographs. ¶10. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): AKP Diyarbakir Provincial party organization hosted an iftaar dinner for a group of successful students in the province. The party will give iftaar dinners to a total of 80 primary school students throughout the month of Ramazan. ¶11. SABAH (GUNEY): Mustafa Attaroglu, AKP Adana Provincial Chairman, held an iftaar dinner with members of the youth branch of the party organization. Attaroglu said during the dinner young people were the driving force of the party during the elections. ¶12. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Erhan Ekinci, Rector of the newly built university in Kilis (7 Aralik University),solicited support from local businessmen for the university. GREEN