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RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0817
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
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RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
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RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0871

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000190 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 24, 2006 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 24, 
¶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 
 
SABAH / ZAMAN / EVRENSEL / CUMHURIYET:  Terrorist leader 
Abdullah Ocalan will be confined to his cell for twenty days 
reportedly for making PKK propaganda. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily claims that Ocalan was given a 
20-day confinement penalty in his cell for recently saying that 
he could make a call for PKK to declare cease-fire, reportedly 
ahead of September 1 Peace Day celebrations. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     The report the MIT intelligence center presented to 
the National Security Council claimed that while the U.S. 
engaged in efforts to appoint an envoy who would work out a way 
for Turkey and the PKK to hold talks and negotiate, the U.S. at 
the same time reportedly entered into negotiations with the PKK 
on disarmament issue. 
 
HURRIYET:       U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson said that the envoy the 
U.S. would appoint to coordinate the tasks with Turkey in the 
fight against the PKK was determined.  Wilson also said that the 
envoy was a person whom Turkey knew very well and everybody 
would get surprised when his/her name would be announced. 
 
SABAH:  PKK reportedly made a press announcement in the 
Qandil Mountain in Iraq as a response to the U.S.'s call to PKK 
to lay down arms.   PKK reportedly explained the conditions 
required for the disarmament of the PKK.  AFP, Reuters, 
Associated Press, Al-Jazeera TV and Turkish Milliyet newspaper 
members attended the conference. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The Turkish war planes allegedly bombed the 
area around northern Iraqi territory.  Meanwhile, KKK, which is 
the political wing of the PKK, reportedly recently issued a 
"Democratic Solution Declaration for the Kurdish Issue." 
 
EVRENSEL:        The daily finds it interesting that the CDs, which 
were sent to the U.S. to be decoded after being discovered 
during an operation Turkish authorities were conducting against 
Hezbollah six years ago, had been brought back by the FBI to 
Turkey's agenda in the days when Turkey is weighing the issue of 
contributing troops to the UN force in Lebanon.   According to 
the daily, this move was aiming to diminish the surge of 
sympathy in favor of Hezbollah in the Turkish community through 
blurring the differences between the Hezbollah in Turkey and 
Hezbollah in Lebanon. 
 
ZAMAN / EVRENSEL:       Van's Third Heavy Penalty Court will most 
probably issue a verdict today about the case of PKK defector 
Veysel Ates for his involvement in the Semdinli bombing on 
November 9, 2006.  The court had already sentenced in a June 19 
trial the non-commissioned officers Ali Kaya and Ozcan Ildeniz 
to 39 years and 10 months in prison. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily claims that National Directorate of 
Forests had been ignoring the fires that have reportedly been 
going on since June in the southeastern region.  According to 
the daily, the fires in the southeastern region were not 
included among the recent disastrous fires listed by the 
National Directorate of Forests. 
 
ZAMAN:  The fire that broke out in a village of Yuregir 
district in Adana lasted 17 hours, burned 250 acres of land, and 
caused a material loss worth 1.5 million YTL. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        The daily reported alleged 
inhumane practices taking place in Kurkculer Jail of Adana.  The 
visitors of the inmates are allegedly being stamped on their 
wrists with a two-word statement in Turkish, "First comes the 
fatherland." One victim of this recent practice was reportedly 
the mother of a DIHA (Dicle News Agency) journalist who was 
arrested on February 15 as she was following in Mersin the 
demonstrations marking a pro-PKK anniversary. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Seventh Army Corps Commander Lieutenant 
General Cahit Sarsilmaz and newly appointed Jandarma Regional 
Commander Brigadier Lieutenant Celal Citak paid a courtesy visit 
to the Mardin Governor Mehmet Kiliclar. 
 
 
ADANA 00000190  002 OF 002 
 
 
YENI SAFAK / SABAH:     Sirnak Governor's Office announced that 
f?ve PKK terrorists surrendered themselves to security forces in 
Sirnak's Silopi district.  The number of PKK terrorists who 
surrendered this year has reportedly reached 69. 
 
RADIKAL:        A military court issued a "non-jurisdiction" ruling 
regarding the Turkish planes' alleged bombing of two villages, 
and alleged killing of 38 villagers in Sirnak's Gabar Mountain 
in March 1994.  State Security Courts of Sirnak and Diyarbakir 
also issued a non-jurisdiction ruling 12 years ago on the same 
case. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Midyat Syriac Culture Association held a 
football tournament among the Syriac youth in Mardin to promote 
friendship among youth of Syriac community.  The referees in the 
tournament were two Muslims. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Young people from Romania, Spain, and from various 
parts of Turkey came to visit ancient Hasankeyf district under a 
cultural project of Governor's Office of Batman. 
 
RADIKAL:        Mardin deputy from Motherland Party argued that two 
dams, which will together produce the amount of energy the Il?su 
Dam is expected to produce, should be built in Batman to save 
ancient Hasankeyf district. 
 
ZAMAN / BOLGE / EVRENSEL / CUMHURIYET:  Eleven members of 
Global Peace and Justice Commission rode their bicycles to the 
Incirlik Base in Adana to protest alleged presence of nuclear 
bombs in the base and against recent Turkish deliberations on 
sending Turkish troops to Lebanon. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / OZGUR GUNDEM:   Chamber of Pharmacists 
in Adana held a seminar for its members to give information 
about measures that could be taken against bird flu since it is 
high season for migratory birds and Adana is located on their 
migration routes. 
 
YENI SAFAK / CUMHURIYET:        Sirnak Governor's Office announced 
that an Iraqi national, who was trying to cross the border in 
the area near the Habur border gate in Sirnak, was caught with 
30 Glock brand smuggled pistols. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Because of this year's higher levels of 
pistachio harvest, farmers fear that their produce will not get 
sold because of lack of pistachio exports capability. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REID 
GREEN