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DE RUEHDA #0129/01 1520528
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INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0767
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0716
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
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RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000129 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 31, 2006 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 31, 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 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / SABAH / ZAMAN:      Two soldiers 
died in a clash with PKK terrorists in Sirnak's rural areas near 
the Cudi Mountain, announced the Sirnak Governor's Office.  The 
operations that followed resulted in the death of two 
terrorists. 
 
SABAH / EVRENSEL / YENI SAFAK / CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / 
SABAH (GUNEY) / ZAMAN:  A lawsuit has been instituted against 
Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir for allocating a municipality 
ambulance for carrying the coffin of a PKK terrorist, who was 
killed in March 2005 in Mardin's Derik district.  Baydemir, who 
will face up to one year in prison, said that it was a humane 
duty extended. If we are requested to do so again, we will 
comply, said Baydemir. 
 
YENI SAFAK:     The daily reported that the application of Mayor 
Baydemir to attend the European Council's Regional and Local 
Administrations Congress was not accepted.  Baydemir reportedly 
voiced criticism that the Turkish delegation attending the 
conference was not fully meeting the regional representation 
requirements. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The trial of Semdinli case defendants will 
continue tomorrow at Van's Third Heavy Penalty Court.  The court 
will continue hearing the statement of PKK defector Veysel Ates. 
 Then, the court will hear the statements of witnesses including 
the bombed bookstore owner. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Ankara 11th Heavy Penalty Court continued to 
hear the case of Tuncer Bakirhan, former DEHAP national 
chairperson, and 12 former DEHAP administrators who are accused 
of using statements such as "Revered Ocalan" and "Ocalan is a 
counterpart in resolving the Kurdish issue."  Bakirhan and his 
colleagues face one to 3 years in prison and loss of political 
rights.  Separately, an investigation has begun against Hakkari 
Mayor Metin Tekce who attended a March 18-dated reopening 
ceremony of the Umut Bookstore in Semdinli, which was bombed on 
November 9 last year.  Illegal slogans were reportedly shouted 
during the ceremony. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     DTP Co-Chairperson Ahmet Turk said that the party 
was insistent on introduction of a general amnesty that would 
include the terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Kurdish Work Group Meeting of Socialist 
International (SI) in Iraq's Suleymaniyah province ended 
yesterday evening (see press summary 05/30).  General Secretary 
of SI, members of the work group and DTP co-chairpersons went to 
Kirkuk yesterday and paid a visit to Kirkuk Governor Abdurrahman 
Mustafa. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily cited an article from yesterday's 
Cumhuriyet daily and reported that U.S. and Turkey did not reach 
a consensus on the PKK issue in the Strategic Vision Document 
worked out by the two countries (see press summary 05/30). 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Two people, one of whom was a 
village guard, had an altercation in Diyarbakir's Ergani 
district because of a reported problem that has been going on 
between two families for about a year.  The village guard fired 
his gun and killed the person he quarreled with and his son. 
 
SABAH:  The petroleum, which arrived at the Ceyhan terminus 
in Adana through Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, will start being 
loaded today on to a vessel that arrived in Ceyhan over the 
weekend. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Diyarbakir's 6th Culture and Arts Festival will 
start today. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Bitlis police conducted an operation on the 
road between Bitlis and Diyarbakir and found 10 kilograms of 
heroin in a car. 
 
ZAMAN:  The daily claims that the administration of 
Diyarbakir's Dicle University has been dismissing faculty 
members who hold opposing stances.  The rector reportedly 
dismissed 7 professors last year.  Recently, another faculty 
member has been dismissed allegedly for attending a Women 
Leaders Training Program in Mardin and Sanliurfa last year upon 
request of the Diyarbakir Governor's Office. 
 
 
ADANA 00000129  002 OF 002 
 
 
HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Bilkent University kicked off a 
project envisaging opening of Bilkent schools at provinces in 
the southeastern region.  Children of teachers, judges, doctors, 
and engineers appointed in the region will be prioritized after 
taking an examination for scholarships that will be offered by 
these schools.  Ozgur Gundem describes the project as an attempt 
to convince public workers to come to the southeastern region 
through offering educational opportunities for their 
"privileged" children. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Kilis Governor Nevzat Turhan got angry when only 30 
out of 51 muhtars (headmen) attended a meeting where the 
services that would be provided for the villages in Kilis would 
be discussed. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Workers of the excavation site in Batman's Hasankeyf 
district, who have launched a strike allegedly because their 
social security payments were not being paid, have been laid 
off. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Professor Yakin Erturk, BM Rapporteur for 
Violence against Women, and the four-person delegation 
accompanying her went from Sanliurfa to Van and held a meeting 
with representatives of civil society there (see press summary 
05/30). 
 
EVRENSEL:       Women activists, who are members of Diyarbakir 
Egitim-Sen (Teacher's Union) made a press announcement in 
Diyarbakir, demanded equal opportunities for women, and 
condemned all kinds of discrimination and violence. 
 
    BOLGE:      Chairperson of Tradesmen and Artisans in Adana 
criticized CHP Adana administration for dismissing Bulent 
Ozulku, a businessman and a CHP delegate, from the party. 
REID