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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 12, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 12, 
¶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 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily claimed that three soldiers died in 
two separate clashes that took place between soldiers and PKK 
terrorists in a road between Dicle-Ergani districts and Bingol's 
Genc district. 
 
ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK: DTP 
Chairperson Ahmet Turk held a press announcement with Diyarbakir 
Mayor Osman Baydemir, Tunceli Mayor Songul Erol Adil, and DTP 
Co-Chairperson Ayesel Tugluk, and made a call to the PKK to 
declare unilateral ceasefire in order to start a peaceful and 
democratic dialogue to resolve the Kurdish issue. 
 
ZAMAN / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE:  Eric Green, U.S. Consul in 
Adana, paid a visit to the Association for Solidarity with the 
Families of Martyrs from the Security Services in Adana.  Green 
was welcomed by a veteran who had lost his legs in operations in 
northern Iraq. "I wish I could stand up to welcome you. I would 
not loose my legs had the US extended timely support to Turkey," 
the veteran said.  The newspapers reported that the words of the 
veteran cast a chill over the Consul.  Consul Green, for his 
part, said that more than 3000 people died five years ago on 
September 11 in the U.S. and among those killed were also 
Turkish nationals.  From then onwards, the U.S. started to see 
terrorism differently.  Mr. Green said that he thought it would 
be right on the anniversary of 9/11 to visit people who suffered 
from terrorism and from similar horrible tragedies. 
 
EVRENSEL:       The daily cites Hurriyet mainstream newspaper as 
alleging on its September 11 edition that the PKK "launched very 
insidious plans" to counter the public reaction that had 
recently soared because of the increasing number of soldiers 
dying in clashes in southeastern Turkey.  According to Hurriyet, 
PKK is planning to sympathize with the families of the martyrs 
during the funerals in order to breed reactions against the 
government and the military.  According to Evrensel daily, the 
article that appeared on Hurriyet is also holding Hatip Dicle, 
the former DEP deputy, and Mothers for Peace Initiative as 
vulnerable to hostile intentions. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   PKK reportedly claims that the death of a 
10-year-old girl and two PKK guerillas in a car on September 5 
in Batman's Kozluk district was allegedly an execution since no 
traces were found indicating that there was a clash at the time 
of the incident. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Emine Bozkurt, Rapporteur of the European 
Parliament's Women's Rights Commission, evaluated the rights of 
the women in Turkey and created a report on that.  According to 
Bozkurt's report the reforms concerning women's rights have 
remained only on papers to date in Turkey. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   MHP reportedly launched efforts to strengthen 
its political base in the Tunceli province. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A person in civilian attire taking photographs 
of each student, who are members of Dicle University's Student's 
Society in Diyarbakir, as the students stood at the stands they 
opened in order to help the students who are newly registering 
to the university have reportedly caused disturbance.  When the 
students asked the person's identity, he reportedly said he was 
from Association for Ataturkist Thinking. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   People opened fire in the air with shotguns as 
they celebrated a wedding ceremony in Van's Saray district 
accidentally killed a 31 year-old person. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   People from two villages of Kars province 
marched to the Governor's Office and protested the authorities 
for not addressing the problem of lack of potable water in their 
villages. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A quarrel between two families turned into a 
fight in Sanliurfa's Hilvan district and one person died from 
gunfire by a member of one of the families.  Three people were 
wounded. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   An international human rights organization 
 
ADANA 00000200  002 OF 002 
 
 
said that conditions have not become suitable in Turkey for 
Syriacs to return back to Turkey.  The organization reportedly 
said that Turkey must make sure that the Syriacs return to a 
safe environment. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A fire broke out in forest land near two 
villages in Sirnak's Silopi district.  Allegations surfaced that 
military personnel returning from operations set the forest on 
fire. 
 
ZAMAN:  Quarantine has been imposed on five districts of 
Hatay because of rabies disease that recently affected those 
areas. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  A group of people calling themselves 
"Solidarity Platform for Middle Eastern People" protested the 
Turkish Parliament which ratified the motion to send Turkish 
troops to Lebanon. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Construction works on the road in Hakkari connecting 
the province to Van province and constituting the only outlet of 
the province to the rest of the world have recently ended (see 
press summary 09/11) after seven days of work. 
 
RADIKAL:        Concerning the security vulnerability scandal at the 
Diyarbakir Military Airport which appeared in yesterday's 
newspaper reports, the daily quoted an announcement by the 
Diyarbakir Governor's Office:  "An old and sick woman was 
escorted by her daughter to the stairs of the plane with the 
permission of security personnel who exercised good-will 
judgment.  However, since this breached security issues, an 
investigation has been started against the personnel." 
GREEN