VZCZCXRO4718
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0089/01 1160505
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260505Z APR 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4108
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0705
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0657
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0571

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000089 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 21, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 21, 
¶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 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Reportedly, Turkish Armed Forces 
has been preparing to strike a reported lethal blow to the PKK. 
The dailies reported claims that Land Forces Command's 
Headquarters would temporarily be shifted to the Sirnak 
province, and Land Forces Commander Yasar Buyukanit and Full 
General Ergin Saygun will be commanding there.  The dailies 
pointed out that military deployment have already been 
intensified for a period of time and 240,000 soldiers have been 
deployed in the border area; it was reportedly striking that 
military preparations are being finalized just before new 
Anti-Terror Law takes effect and U.S Secretary of State's 
upcoming visit to Turkey takes place. Ozgur Gundem claims that 
the government is ironically attempting to solve the Kurdish 
issue through new Anti-terror law, and the military through 
240,000 soldiers. 
 
ZAMAN / RADIKAL:        The dailies reported military deployments in 
the southeastern region as getting busier nowadays. 
 
EKSPRES / EVRENSEL / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / ZAMAN / RADIKAL / 
CUMHURIYET:     Higher Board of Judges and Prosecutors expelled Van 
Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya from his profession and suspended him 
from office until the tentative decision of the board takes 
effect.  Zaman daily branded this development as "convicting a 
person with death penalty in a case where he should actually be 
given a minor penalty such as a penalty given for a petty 
traffic offence." Radikal daily reminded that Sabru Uzun, 
Security Directorate's Intelligence Chief, had already been 
dismissed from office for his remarks supporting Sarikaya. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Following recent incidents that killed two 
people and wounded dozens of others in Kiziltepe and Nusaybin 
districts of Mardin, Andrew C. Wilson, U.S.'s Deputy Consul in 
Adana, paid a visit to DTP headquarters in Mardin.  During the 
meeting where press was not allowed, DTP members answered 
questions of Wilson about recent incidents that took place in 
Mardin and its districts.  Wilson will reportedly create a 
report on his findings. 
 
CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL:   A 24-year-old women, who broke up with 
her fianci, has been killed by his brother and father in 
Diyarbakir reportedly in the name of family honor. 
 
EVRENSEL:       A delegation from EMEP (The Party of Labor) went to 
Diyarbakir to conduct several visits in the province and to 
express sentiments of solidarity and brotherhood to the people 
of Diyarbakir.  EMEP delegation reportedly met with the mayor, 
local DTP organization, bar association and families of people 
who died during violent demonstration late in March in 
Diyarbakir. DTP members told EMEP national chairperson that DTP 
was attaching great importance to EMEP's visit which reportedly 
provided great morale to people and DTP. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Members of Diyarbakir-based Southeastern 
Headmen Association and 30 muhtars (headmen) paid a visit to the 
Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir and thanked Baydemir for his 
endeavors exerted to calm down the social upheaval that took 
place in Diyarbakir in late March. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Assailants attacked DTP Eskisehir provincial 
building and smashed windows of offices.  Members of the Party 
administration told that ultra-nationalists had painted 
intimidating remarks on walls of the building before. 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE:        In the run-up to May 6 local chairmanship 
elections for AKP Adana party organization, intra-party 
competition has been shaking up AKP Adana chapter (see press 
summary 04/20). Yesterday, Hayati Yazici, AKP Deputy National 
Chairman, told two candidates for chairmanship, namely Mustafa 
Attaroglu and Omer Kaya, to come to Ankara.  It is reportedly 
not known which candidate Seyhan Mayor Azim Ozturk has been 
supporting; but, the mere fact that Ozturk went along with the 
candidates to Ankara has triggered many speculations to surface 
recently.  Meanwhile, Bolge daily reported that Omer Kaya has 
recently returned to Adana, but Mustafa Attaroglu stayed in 
Ankara for personal reasons.  Bolge daily further reported that 
eleven district chairmen announced their support for current 
provincial chairman Abdullah Dogru. However, Yuregir and Seyhan 
chairmen said that they would wait for the decision of the party 
center in Ankara. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  A delegation led by the chairperson of AKP 
 
ADANA 00000089  002 OF 002 
 
 
Women's Branches, Selma Kavaf, came to Adana and paid a visit to 
the Seyhan Mayor Azim Ozturk. 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Bitlis Governor announced that the 
government allocated 1 million New Turkish Lira-budget for 
Return to Villages and Rehabilitation Project in Bitlis.  The 
governor said that the money would be spent for infrastructural 
needs. 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE:        Huseyin Celik, Minister of Education, has come 
to Mersin to attend a series of openings, to conduct several 
visits and local studies.  The minister paid visits to the 
Mersin Governor Huseyin Aksoy and AKP Mersin party organization. 
 
 
EKSPRES:        A PKK militant (25), who was caught as he was 
preparing to launch a bomb attack in Mersin and who was arrested 
after being arraigned, has been found dead this morning in the 
Mersin jail.  The body of the terrorist has been brought to 
Mersin University's Medical School to conduct autopsy and was 
then transferred to Adana Forensic Authority.  Prosecutor has 
started an investigation into the death of the militant. 
 
RADIKAL / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET:    Diyarbakir 2nd First 
Instance Court, during the ninth hearing of the Kurd-Der 
(Kurdish Association) case, ruled that Kurd-Der should be closed 
on following grounds: the association uses Kurdish in its 
charter, the charter stipulates that a Kurdish library and 
archive should be established. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A 20-year-old feud between two families in 
Sanliurfa's Viransehir district has been ended during a dinner 
held as a result of endeavors of Viransehir Mayor Emrullah Cin. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Father of a terrorist killed in a clash in 
Sirnak's Besta quarter on an unspecified date claimed that 
authorities have still not handed over his son's body to him. 
The father applied to the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights 
Association and said that he would hold a hunger strike in front 
of the parliament should authorities respond to him. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   European Director of Sinn Fein, Eoin O'Broin, 
met with a delegation of London-based Halkevi (Community 
Center), and two parties agreed to start an effective, 
long-lasting, and continuous relationship between Ireland and 
Kurdish community. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Hatay Governor Ahmet Kayhan conducted studies 
at the port of Iskenderun whose privatization process turned 
into a contentious issue.  Kayhan, when asked by the journalists 
whether the port would be turned into a U.S. base (see press 
summary 04/20), said that he was also following such news from 
media.  Hatay Governor later attended an endeavor to clean the 
environs and raise public awareness about a historical 
worshipping place called St.Simon Monastery which dates back to 
521 B.C. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Raif Turk, Chairperson of Diyarbakir 
Industrialists and Businessman Association, said that they had 
had great hopes about the government, but the government's 
regional policies pursued have remained insufficient to date. 
Turk further claimed that despite media's portrayal of 
Diyarbakir as a separatist city, there was actually no one in 
the province who would advocate for separatism. 
 
ZAMAN / EVRENSEL:       Washington Post (WP) newspaper published an 
article over the issue of Semdinli bombing and other bombing 
that took place in the southeastern region of Turkey in the last 
quarter of 2005.  The daily reportedly asked, "Who are to 
benefit from the bomb explosions in Turkey?" WP article claims 
that the hostilities in Turkey were not only provoked by Kurdish 
militants. 
REID