SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 20, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000084 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 20, 2007 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 20, ¶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. BOLGE / EKSPRES: MHP Adana party organization has reportedly been pursuing a vigorous election campaign. An MHP delegation went to Kozan district in Adana to meet with the people and to hear about local issues bothering them. A Gaziantep candidate from MHP solicited votes and pledged to clean the mined areas on the Syrian border and reintroduce them to people for cultivation. State Minister Kursat Tuzmen met with the journalists at a dinner in Mersin, the province where Tuzmen will be running, and talked about the missions he envisaged for the Mersin province. Meanwhile, Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat, the former AKP deputy national chairperson and AKP's candidate from Adana, who had run in the Mersin province in the former elections, has also been campaigning and knocking the doors in several different districts of Adana to canvass people. Omer Celik, another Adana candidate from AKP and political adviser to the premier, paid visits to AKP's district party organizations together with the provincial chairman Mr. Attaroglu. Separately, CHP's Seyhan district party organization went to Kucukdikili, a township of Seyhan district in Adana, to introduce its candidates to the local people. ¶3. BOLGE / HURRIYET: Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan opened a food processing facility during his trip to Agri province, addressed people in a rally held there, and paid a visit to the Agri Governor's Office later. The next destination of Erdogan's ongoing trip is the Igdir province, reports the daily. ¶4. GUNDEM: Representatives of the women's organizations said the twenty-one women's organizations in south-eastern Turkey will reportedly endorse independent female candidates. ¶5. EVRENSEL / GUNDEM: Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir paid a visit to a settlement area of Diyarbakir which is populated by people who had to migrate from the villages of the province. Women and children, who welcomed him with great enthusiasm, reportedly told the issues they had been suffering from to the mayor. ¶6. GUNDEM: Tunceli Municipality introduced into service an asphalt plant, and, held an opening ceremony for it. DTP Vice-Chariperson, who delivered a speech during the event, said they were being deliberately targeted at, like in the case of the Sur District Mayor Abdullah Demirbas who was removed from office when he attempted recently to launch a "multi-language municipality service" (see press summary for June 15), reportedly because they were providing good public services without engaging in fraudulent businesses. The daily separately noted that the Chamber of Doctors in Diyarbakir issued a written announcement protesting removal of the Sur Mayor and Municipality assembly members from office. ¶7. GUNDEM: News chief and a reporter of the Diyarbakir's local Soz TV station have been arrested on charges that they broadcast news about a judge who allegedly was exiled to the office in Diyarbakir from another province on charges of bribery. ¶8. EVRENSEL: The daily examines the election trends in Van and reminds that six deputies from AKP won parliamentary seats from Van in 2002 elections. While the daily points out to rumors that votes for AKP will decrease in Van in July 22 elections since AKP's ticket in Van excluded the leaders of the local clans of Van. However, AKP could work hard until the election day and win back the support of the frustrated clan leaders. DTP supports three independent candidates in Van where DTP will campaign in three separate election constituencies. CHP's ticket in Van gave the first ranking position to a former ANAP (Motherland Party) member and the second ranking position to a former DYP member. ¶9. EVRENSEL: As expiry date of the use of the Incirlik Airbase by the U.S. draws near, the daily quotes Abdullah Caliskan, Adana Deputy from AKP; Cebrail Daghan, Adana Branch Secretary of the Union of General Services Workers; and Mustafa SIPDIS Bagcicek, Adana Branch Secretary of the Human Rights Association as objecting to any further extending of the use of the air base ADANA 00000084 002 OF 002 by the U.S. SECURITY ¶10. ZAMAN: As the "Sledgehammer" military operation is going on in the south-eastern region of Turkey, the terrorists trapped in the region are shifting their locations to northern Black Sea region's provinces, reports the daily. During a shootout with the terrorists that erupted in the northern Gumushane province, one private was killed and another soldier was wounded. ¶11. ZAMAN / HURRIYET: The terrorists in a van loaded with arms and explosives opened fire at jandarma the previous day at 11.30 p.m. in Erzincan as the car, which was entering the city center, was stopped by jandarma. Five security personnel, including two non-commissioned officers, were wounded in the fire. Two terrorists in the car were caught, and, American-brand M16s, 8 hand grenades, 1.5 kilograms of explosives, two Kalashnikov guns, food and supplies were found in the car. The security forces launched an operation in the area and encountered the terrorists who were able to flee from the van. Four of the terrorists were killed. CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ¶12. ZAMAN: Police in Hakkari found and seized 74 kilograms of heroin during an anti-drug operation conducted in the Yuksekova district. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT ¶13. GUNDEM: The daily reports that a jail's administration in Van required the inmates to pay the fees of the translation services when the inmates demanded from the jail administration to buy the Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper. ¶14. SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / EKSRPES / GUNDEM: Twenty-four year old niece of Ahmet Turk, former national chairperson of DTP, was drowned in the water canal he was swimming in in Adana. Turk's niece was a student of the medical faculty in the Cukurova University. GREEN