This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000243 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 20, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December 20, 
¶2005.  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, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET / YENI SAFAK / RADIKAL:   Cemil Cicek, 
spokesperson of the AK Party government, strongly opposed and 
criticized the recent remarks of Joost Lagendijk, EU-Turkey 
Joint Parliamentary Commission Chairperson, advising the Kurds 
to move closer to the Turkish GOT, with whom a dialogue can be 
established (instead of leaning towards the PKK which resorted 
to armed conflict): a situation which reportedly strengthened 
and benefited the position of the Turkish military forces.  This 
line of thought, according to Cicek, amounted to classifying 
Turkey's military forces as in the same ranks with the terrorist 
organization PKK. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     A radar project carried out in Hatay, whose 
ownership is declared as belonging to NATO and whose 
installation has been undertaken by the U.S., allegedly will be 
used by the U.S., not by NATO, to watch the activities of Syria. 
 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET / YENI SAFAK:        During a meeting with the 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, NATO General Secretary Jaap De 
Hoop said that there was no doubt about the terrorist character 
of the PKK either in his own mind or the minds of the NATO 
allies. 
 
YENI SAFAK:     The European Council warned Denmark, a country that 
has been reluctant to take measures against the pro-PKK Roj TV. 
 
RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK / OZGUR GUNDEM:    Diyarbakir Prosecutor 
discontinued actions against statements by Diyarbakir Mayor 
Osman Baydemir, made during his speech in Belgium and 
Strasbourg. 
 
HURRIYET:       Seventeen year old M.T., who killed his sister in 
Diyarbakir's Baglar quarter on January 2003, was initially 
sentenced to 12 years in prison. M.T.'s prison sentence was 
reduced to six years and eight months following the court's 
considerations of his good conduct and his young age.  After 
serving 3 years in prison, the court decided that M.T. be 
released. 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:      Despite the Forensic Medicine 
Authority's determination that the nine bullets found in the 
body of 12-year-old Ugur Kaymaz were fatal and Ugur Kaymaz could 
not engage in an armed clash, the Ozgur Gundem newspaper pointed 
out that the courts dismissed the litigant's request to arrest 
the defendants.  The daily drew attention to the heavy police 
presence at the courthouse in Eskisehir before the trial of 
Kaymazs' case, sharply contrasting it with the weak police 
presence during Orhan Pamuk's court hearing in Istanbul. 
 
YENI SAFAK / OZGUR GUNDEM:      Hakan Acil (27) is a police 
officer whom the PKK kidnapped two months ago (see press summary 
10/11 and 12/09) on a road between Sirnak and Mardin.  Acil's 
father waited outside the court hall in Eskisehir where the 
Kaymaz case was being heard, to talk with the members of the 
Human Rights Association about the release of his son. 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:      Nationwide protests, including in 
Istanbul, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Van, Hakkari, Mus, Hatay, and 
Binol provinces, were held against the December 2000 "Return to 
Life Operation" launched against inmates on hunger strike in 
various jails in Turkey (see press summary 12/19). 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The court prosecuting 13 officers in Mardin on 
charges of killing one and wounding four persons from the Demir 
family during an October 2003 raid conducted on a village in 
Mardin's Derik district, has reportedly been moved to the Adana 
province.  The reason for moving the place of the lawsuit was 
given as "preserving public security." A prior notification 
about this change of place reportedly was not sent to the 
litigants and their attorneys. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   German-based SU TV started its test 
broadcasts.  SU TV's audience profile will be the (Turkish) 
Alawi community; however, the channel aims at making the voices 
of millions, who cannot find the means to express themselves, 
heard. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Mehmet Eraslan, Hatay deputy from DYP (True 
Path Party), submitted a proposal demanding a probe into books, 
which have been circulating for free among primary school 
children.  Reportedly, these books included pictures of crosses 
and churches, and quoted excerpts from Christian prayers. 
 
YENI SAFAK / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: Erdal Akpinar, a 
brigadier general, who  reportedly held a meeting two weeks ago 
with non-governmental organizations at the Yuksekova Brigade 
Command (see press summary 12/13) and warned people about the 
yellow-red-green colored flags carried by the people during 
demonstrations, reportedly filed a complaint against a primary 
school headmaster and the trainer of a folk dance group about 
the clothing of children, who performed folk dances during the 
October 29 Republic Day ceremonies, on grounds that these 
clothes resembled the clothing style of PKK militants. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   BEKSAV (Science Education Aesthetics Culture 
and Arts Foudnation) will hold a panel on "Putting the Semdinli 
Case on the Agenda of the Metropolises with the Correct 
Approach" on January 24 in Istanbul. Esat Canan, Hakkari deputy 
from CHP (Republican People's Party); Seferi Yilmaz, the owner 
of the bombed bookstore in Semdinli; Mikail Aslan, the person 
wounded during the bombing will also participate in the event. 
REID