VZCZCXRO5138
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0137/01 1630619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120619Z JUN 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4185
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0785
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0734
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0635
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000137 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 08, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 08, 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 
 
YENI SAFAK / ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES:   The dailies carried 
recent news articles of the mainstream newspapers (see press 
summary 06/08) about the reported presence of 90 nuclear bombs 
in the Incirlik Airbase in Adana, and discontent of the people 
living in the Incirlik district on hearing such news.  Zaman 
daily also cites a report of the European Council (EC) saying 
that Incirlik Airbase was used as a platform for transportation 
of the arrested terrorism suspects.  EC has blamed 14 countries 
for disregarding such illegal operations of the U.S. 
 
BOLGE:  Turhan Comez, Balikesir deputy from AKP, criticized 
dismissal from AKP of Fuat Gecen, Hatay deputy from AKP, for 
voicing allegations about irregularities of AKP deputies with 
public tenders in Hatay (see press summary 06/07). 
 
SABAH / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET:   Concerning killing of Selahattin 
Aksu and his daughter in Mardin's Kiziltepe district on June 3 
(see press summaries 06/05, 06 and 07), officials from Mardin 
chapter of Human Rights Association (HRA) said that it was too 
early to make comments on the incident, but there was not much 
similarity between the killing of Ahmet and his son Ugur Kaymaz 
in November 2004 in Kiziltepe and that incident.  DTP and HRA 
sent delegations to Kiziltepe. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Ahmet Ertak, Sirnak Mayor, and Emrullah Cin, 
Mayor of Sanliurfa's Viransehir district, gave their statements 
at Sirnak's Chief Prosecutor's Office for sending along with 56 
mayors (from DTP) in the southeastern region a letter to the 
premier of Denmark in support for the pro-PKK Roj TV. 
 
YENI SAFAK:     The report of the EU permanent members' meeting on 
June 6 reportedly had concerns over the issues in the 
southeastern Turkey, Cyprus issue, the role of military in 
Turkish politics, the ongoing judicial process for the Semdinli 
case.  As regards to the cultural rights, the report found it 
pleasing that Kurdish language broadcasting was started. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Pursuant to the court decision that imposed a 
ban on disclosure of information concerning the Semdinli case 
through media, the daily alleged that authorities banned access 
to some websites delivering such information over Internet. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        The daily reports that clashes 
between military and the terrorist organization taking place in 
Bingol and Sirnak's Gabar Mountain has intensified recently. 
The daily reported that five soldiers have been wounded in two 
separate clashes in those areas.  Separately, the number of 
village guards who do not want to take part in the military 
operations and who want to lay down arms has reached to fifty 
only in May, reports the daily.  The daily claims that a 
military officer uttered threatening remarks to the village 
guards who refused to take part in a clash in Hakkari's Semdinli 
district. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        A group of 
attorneys from the Adana Bar Association gathered in front of 
the Court Hall of Adana and demanded release of Ali Bozan, 
Attorney and Chairperson of DTP's Mersin Chapter, who was 
arrested last month on grounds not specified by the daily. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Ankara Chapter of Human Rights Association announced 
that arbitrary implementations of the jail administrations have 
allegedly been oppressing people.  Kurdish origin inmates were 
reportedly being discriminated against and their Kurdish letters 
were being omitted by the board monitoring the content of the 
letters.  If the letters were to be translated, the jail 
authorities were demanding the translation fee from the inmates. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Quarantine has been imposed on a village and a 
hamlet in Van's Gurpinar district when rabies was detected in a 
sheep that was bitten by a wild fox. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Hakkari Municipality (DTP) 
launched a three-day cleaning campaign in the city which aimed 
to incorporate people's efforts in works undertaken by the 
municipality which are allegedly carried out despite 
obstructions (from unspecified sources). 
 
EVRENSEL:       Mehmet Ali Azun, who was reportedly taken by two 
civilians from his home on May 17 in Diyarbakir's Baglar 
quarter, has disappeared since then. 
 
 
ADANA 00000137  002 OF 002 
 
 
EVRENSEL:       Anti-terror teams have reportedly been recording the 
names, telephone numbers and business information of the 
tradesmen and business owners in Hakkari's Semdinli district 
upon authorization obtained from the prosecutor's office. 
 
ZAMAN:  Ministry of Energy has included petroleum theft from 
pipelines within the scope of its struggle against fuel-oil 
smuggling, an issue the ministry has been concerned with due to 
its connection to national security matters and to financing of 
terrorists. 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    A 47 years old person from Diyarbakir, 
who was convicted two years before of killing his wife four 
years ago in the name of honor in Adana, applied to benefit from 
the new Turkish Penal Code in hope for a decrease from his life 
time imprisonment.  The second court ruling has also sentenced 
him to life in prison. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  The tender for clearing the land from mines in 
the border area with Syria has been cancelled and postponed to a 
later date on grounds that satisfactory competitive conditions 
have not been achieved in the tender. 
 
YENI SAFAK:     A fire broke out in the mined territory at the 
border area with Syria.  Intermittent explosions took place as 
fire fighting teams were trying to extinguish the fire. 
 
BOLGE:  The friendship monument erected in Syria's Lazkiye 
province was named after the Mayor of Antakya in Hatay province. 
 
 
YENI SAFAK:     During a visit of the district mayors of Gaziantep 
paid to the Mayor of Aleppo in Syria, mayors stressed the 
importance of the friendship between Gaziantep and Aleppo 
provinces. 
REID