SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 15, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000083 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 15, 2007 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 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: ¶2. EKSPRES ONLINE/ HABERLER.COM / HABER3.COM: Eric Green, the U.S. Consul to Adana, who has recently been to Van, Hakkari and Sirnak, said in Sirnak's Cizre district, "This issue (incursion) is being discussed at all levels of our government. The views of the U.S. about a possible Turkish incursion in Iraq are clear." Green, who said that the area the Consulate covered was large and was extending from Mersin to Van province, further continued that they were routinely paying visits to those areas and meeting with governmental and non-governmental authorities. Green told journalists that he was with the Chairperson of Cizre's Chamber of Commerce and Industry today. Green said that, since the U.S. government was sending goods to the coalition forces in Iraq through the Habur Border Gate in Sirnak, he would visit the Gate tomorrow. Green added that whenever he comes to this region, he was also paying a visit to the Gate. ¶3. RADIKAL / SABAH / NTVMSNBC.COM / GUNDEM / ZAMAN: The Council of State decreed that Sur District Mayor Abdullah Demirbas should be suspended from office and the municipality assembly should be dropped on grounds that the municipality decided to launch a "multi-language municipality service for the citizens." The judicial body stated that such a service was not conforming to the Turkish Constitution and the Turkish laws. Such an implementation transgressed the boundaries of exercising basic human rights and liberties, and it displayed a nature that was in disharmony with such rights. Gundem daily further reports that attorneys of Demirbas regarded the decision as against democracy and the rule of law, and, they would appeal the verdict of the Council of State. ¶4. HURRIYET ONLINE/ EKSPRES / GUNDEM: The Turkish General Staff filed a complaint against Alaattin Erdogan, DTP assembly member, and Erdogan was arrested yesterday in Mersin by anti-terror branch of the Mersin police on charges of denigrating the Turkish State and the Turkish General Staff at the parliament of the U.K. last year. Erdogan was brought to Adana, was arraigned and arrested. ¶5. HURRIYET ONLINE / GUNDEM: The title chosen by Hurriyet online daily reads: "Unfortunate remarks from DTP." DTP announced the conclusions arrived at its Party Assembly's meeting held yesterday as follows: 1- DTP argued that army's recently increasing death toll was a consequence in the first place of not conforming to the "unilateral ceasefire" (declared by the PKK). DTP had actually made a call for the cease-fire which was reportedly supported by many circles. DTP, described the situation in which many young people were dying each day, as extremely disappointing, however, DTP expressed a strong commitment to continue struggling for democratic processes and not to yield and let despair win. 2- The call of the Turkish General Staff to Turkish people to show a "collective reaction" against terrorism was aiming to turn peoples as enemies of each other. 3- DTP had serious concerns over whether July 22 parliamentary elections would be held in a democratic and healthy environment. The government, which did nothing in the past to remove the anti-democratic election threshold, is even defending today the idea to postpone the elections in an attempt to block the entrance of its opponents to the parliament. In a parallel fashion, the Higher Election Board vetoed the candidacy of former DEP deputies: Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak, despite that their prosecution process was still not ended. (This is openly a stealing of the willpower, writes the Gundem daily.) 4- DTP demanded that Alaattin Erdogan, DTP assembly member, who was arrested yesterday in Mersin on charges of insulting Turkish General Staff at the parliament of the U.K., should be released. Meanwhile, as Ahmet Turk and Aysel Tugluk resigned from DTP party chairmanship and deputy chairmanship, party assembly appointed new names as acting chairman and acting deputy chairman. Gundem daily, as it points out that the Kurdish issue and funerals of martyrs were being abused as ingredients of domestic politics, the authorities should perceive the internal dynamics, and, the issues should better be solved through democratic methods instead of resorting to such anti-democratic ways as cross-border operations. ¶6. ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY): CHP Adana party ADANA 00000083 002 OF 002 organization introduced its candidates to the Adana people with a meeting it held at the Seyhan Hotel. ¶7. EVRENSEL: The daily claims that the soldiers from the Provincial Jandarma Command in Diyarbakir allegedly are putting pressure on some villagers and telling them not to cast votes for independent candidates. Separately, the daily notes that Sezgin Tanrikulu, Chairperson of Diyarbakir Bar Association, who was one of the 37 independent candidates, withdrew his candidacy in Diyarbakir. SECURITY ¶8. RADIKAL / SABAH / HURRIYET / NTVMSNBC.COM / CNNTURK.COM: A major was killed and two privates were wounded by a mine that was remotely detonated by the PKK members on a village road in Hakkari's Yuksekova district the previous day as a military unit was returning from a patrolling mission on foot at around 4 p.m. A ceremony was held for the major in Hakkari's Commando Brigade Command at 9 a.m. today (June 14) and the coffin has been sent to the hometown of the soldier. Separately, a commissioned officer was killed in a shootout in Karakocan district of Elazig. ¶9. HURRIYET (ONLINE): A blast took place at a bus stop in Ofis section of Diyarbakir because of an explosive placed on the seat of a bicycle parked on a street. Seven people were wounded, one of them seriously. There was a non-commissioned officer among the wounded. The authorities have not been able to identify the type of the explosive yet. Minister of Interior said the way the blast took place reminded them of the methods the PKK generally used in such attacks, but they would not be able to tell for certain until the experts completed their investigation. CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ¶10. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Police in Ceyhan stopped a car and searched it. Police found 7.5 kilograms of hashish hidden in the car. Separately, Hakkari police seized 5 tons of smuggled fuel oil in Hakkari. 15 people were detained during the anti-smuggling operation. GREEN