VZCZCXRO7589
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0075/01 1000935
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100935Z APR 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4086
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0683
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0635
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0550

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000075 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 7, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 07, 
¶2006.  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 
 
HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET:  During European Parliament's General 
Assembly meeting called "The situation in Southeastern Turkey", 
members stated that PKK was a terrorist organization. Speakers 
at the meeting reportedly made a call to Diyarbakir Mayor Osman 
Baydemir and DTP administration to condemn and exclude the PKK. 
Meanwhile, Cumhuriyet daily noted that European Parliament will 
urge Turkey in the National Program it prepared to set a 
particular timeframe to end economic and social imbalances in 
the southeastern Turkey.  Cumhuriyet daily separately noted that 
the crisis between the U.S. and Turkey over the PKK issue has 
deepened. 
 
HURRIYET / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET:        Funerals for five soldiers 
killed in Sirnak's Gabar Mountains, and one police officer 
killed in Bingol were held yesterday.  Land Forces Commander 
Yasar Buyukanit and Jandarma Commander Fevzi Turkeri 
participated in one of the funerals held in Ankara's Haymana 
district. 
 
HURRIYET:       Songul Erol Abdil, Tunceli Mayor from DTP, together 
with the Tunceli Governor opened a memorial corner at the 
Security Directorate of the province to honor the memory of 45 
police officers who died during the clashes with the terrorist 
organization.  The opening also marks the 161st anniversary of 
foundation of the Turkish National Police. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir complained 
about being held as a defendant, when he was actually a victim 
and witness of (recent) incidents (of civil unrest in 
Diyarbakir).  According to Baydemir, DTP provincial 
administrators and civil society member have worked very hard to 
keep the situation calm in the province; however, the recent 
arrests have left no one in the province that people would 
listen to and follow. 
 
RADIKAL / ZAMAN / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET: Four 
DTP Diyarbakir provincial administrators and two chairmen of 
union branches have been arraigned and arrested in Diyarbakir on 
charges that they have undertaken activities on behalf of the 
terrorist organization. Cumhuriyet daily noted that 27 people, 
most of whom were DTP members, were detained yesterday in the 
region. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Nine people, including two senior DTP members 
in Batman and unspecified number of children, have been 
arraigned at Batman's Duty Court and have been imprisoned on 
charges of "being a member of terrorist organization" and 
"uprising against the state."  Meanwhile, 10 detainees in 
Sanliurfa have been arraigned and imprisoned to stand trial 
later.  DTP Ceylanpinar provincial chairperson and two district 
administrators are among those people imprisoned. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Mazlum-Der (Association of Human Rights and 
Solidarity for Oppressed People) representatives pointed out 
that 199 out of 551 people detained and 91 out of 375 people 
arrested during the incidents in Diyarbakir were children. 
According to Mazlum-Der, 95 per cent of the children have been 
tortured and badly treated. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Hakkari Prosecutor initiated an 
investigation against tradesmen of Hakkari's Semdinli district. 
Tradesmen have been giving their statements to the Prosecutor's 
Office starting as of April 5. 
 
ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM:   Diyarbakir Municipality held a "Dinner 
for Tolerance" for representatives of Chaldean, Syriac, 
Armenian, and Muslim communities.  Zaman daily reported the 
event as Diyarbakir Mayor holding a dinner for leaders of 
assorted religious communities comprised mostly of Christians 
and especially to mark the coming of Easter. 
 
RADIKAL / EVRENSEL:     American New York Times newspaper 
covered an in-depth news article about the recent turmoil that 
has been going on in southeastern Turkey and said that the 
recent situation has been steering Kurds and Turkey back on a 
rocky path. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        The military operation Turkish 
Armed Forces launched in Siirt's Pervari district has been 
continuing for about a week.  Recently, 20,000 soldiers have 
been deployed in the area and the extent of the operation has 
been widened by including village guards from the surrounding 
 
ADANA 00000075  002 OF 002 
 
 
villages to the operation. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        DTP Siirt Provincial Chairperson 
Murat Avci, who was summoned last week to the prosecutor's 
office and who provided a statement there, was arraigned, and 
released to stand trial later.  Avci has been re-summoned to the 
Siirt Prosecutor's Office to give his statement once again. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Kutbettin Arzu, Chairman of Diyarbakir Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry, expressed his frustration over debates 
whether state of emergency rule be revoked in the region or not. 
 
 
EVRENSEL:       PM Erdogan, in response to DTP leaders' enquiry as 
to why he met with Hamas leaders, said that Hamas came to power 
as a result of democratic elections.  PM Erdogan had earlier 
indicated that a meeting with DTP would only be possible if DTP 
recognized PKK as a terrorist organization.  The daily pointed 
out that Halid Mesal, the political leader of Hamas, whom Turkey 
met with, was not an elected political figure. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   DTP Kars provincial chairperson Mahmut Alinak 
filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights when a 
higher court overturned local Kars court's decision not to seize 
hand-outs that included the Kurdish letter "w." The handouts 
invited people to March 21 Newruz celebrations.  As a result of 
higher court's decision, the hand-outs were seized. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The report of Human Rights Association (HRA) 
in Diyarbakir claimed that the level of violence has been 
intensified by security forces in the southeastern region 
following such announcements made by the Prime Minister, 
Minister of Justice and Minister of Interior as, "...we will 
take necessary measures whether they (demonstrators) be women or 
children." 
 
ZAMAN:  Zaman daily reported that the report of HRA in 
Diyarbakir included statements that blamed police for attacking 
the demonstrators, smashing windows of businesses, and using 
intense force against demonstrators during the social turmoil in 
Diyarbakir.  According to Zaman, HRA's report excluded such 
facts as demonstrators burning public buildings and doing great 
damage to them. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   An Alawi federation board announced that the 
state was ignoring demands of the Alawis.  Alawis, who have 
carried out a passive defense to date for their concerns, will 
start carrying out civil disobedience activities.  Alawi 
children will reportedly boycott religious classes at schools, 
court actions will be demanded by masses for their complaints, 
and ceremonies held by the state will be protested. 
 
RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET:   An epidemic of mange hit Sirnak's Cizre 
district and 3000 students, especially primary school students, 
have been affected. 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
CUMHURIYET:     Gaziantep Provincial Jandarma Command seized fifty 
million synthetic Captagon pills in a yarn factory situated in 
the Organized Industrial Zone of Gaziantep. 
REID