SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 27, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000046 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 27, 2007 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 27, ¶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 EKSPRES / BOLGE: A local TV station interviewed the U.S. Consul to Adana, Eric Green, on the day that marked the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war. Green reportedly said that after four years, the situation in Iraq was not as well as they like it to be and there was a high level of instability there. According to Green, President Bush had acknowledged this, and, they were changing their strategy to try to improve the situation in Iraq. Green, when asked questions about the PKK issue, asserted that PKK was designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and denied having any contacts with them. Regarding the PKK's relationship with any people or authority in northern Iraq, Green said their objective was to get all of the Iraqi authorities, those in Baghdad as well as those in northern Iraq, to work to end PKK's presence in that country. EKSPRES / BOLGE / ZAMAN: Umit Ozgumus, Chairperson of Adana's Chamber of Industry, talked with members of ISKAD (Adana Businesswomen Association). During the talk Ozgumus mentioned that despite the U.S. officially stating that it respected Turkey's territorial integrity and it designated the PKK as a terrorist organization, it has not been sharing information with Turkey about 5000 people who have established presence in the Qandil Mountains in Northern Iraq and who have been entering Turkey to raid police stations and kill soldiers and civilians. BOLGE / EKSPRES: Adana's new governor Ilhan Atis paid a courtesy visit to Adana Mayor Aytac Durak. Durak ran a slide show for Mr. Atis in order to show him the other side of Adana and make him aware of the problems of people who migrated to Adana from rural sections. EVRENSEL / ZAMAN: Diyarbakir's Kayapinar district mayor Zulkuf Karatekin reportedly received a threat letter including a suspicious powder in it. The text of the letter was created with letters cut from a newspaper and it was signed as "Laz Direnc (Laz Resistance)". Similar letters including the same signature were sent to Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir and Hakkari Mayor Metin Tekce in the past. ONLINE GUNDEM: Online Gundem daily claims that the pressure exerted on the Kurdish press has been continuing with the recent 20-day ban on Azadiya Welat daily which is the only Kurdish language newspaper in Turkey. The proprietary owner of the newspaper has recently been arraigned because of the former publications about the alleged slow poisoning of Abdullah Ocalan by state authorities. CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Police found and seized 6557 Kalashnikov bullets in a car they stopped and searched in Sanliurfa's Ceylanpinar district. ECONOMY HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / EVRENSEL: Kemal Sag, Adana deputy from CHP, gave the good news to 400 workers that the Adana's TEKEL cigarette factory will resume its operations. SABAH (GUNEY): Guler Sabanci, a powerful businesswomen whose hometown is Adana, will come to Adana on March 27 and attend a meeting that will be held with ISKAD. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT EVRENSEL / ZAMAN: Thousands of people reportedly protested recent killing of a teacher because of an ongoing feud between two families in Hakkari's Yuksekova district. EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / ZAMAN: Adana Governor Ilhan Atis attended a program that marked the Week for Libraries at the Provincial Public Library. Atis arrived at the venue prior to the program, inspected the building to see if it was kept clean and orderly, and reprimanded some officials for not keeping the place clean. ADANA 00000046 002 OF 002 EKSPRES: Zeki Yilmaz, Provincial Culture and Tourism Director, said that a French company applied to them to get permission from them to carry out a 10-billion-YTL tourism investment. GREEN