VZCZCXRO5941
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0060 1150548
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250548Z APR 07
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4503
INFO RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1049
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0904
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU
RUETIAA/DIRNSA FT MEADE MD
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1106

UNCLAS ADANA 000060 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 24, 2007 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 24, 
¶2007.  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: 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE:        Kemal Sag, Adana deputy from CHP, criticized 
the remarks made by Necati Cetinkaya, AKP Deputy National 
Chairperson and Elazig deputy, who recently said that the right 
to elect the President was at AKP's discretion and they would 
allow nobody to interfere in their own business.  Sag reportedly 
responded to those remarks by saying that electing the President 
was not an item of intra-party business, but a right that 
belongs to the Turkish Parliament. 
 
EKSPRES:        Abdullah Torun, Adana deputy from AKP, harshly 
criticized the Ankara Bar Association which filed a petition 
with the court to annul the recent decision taken to found a law 
faculty in Adana.  The Ankara Bar Association was reportedly 
regarding the decision to found a law faculty in Adana as a 
political move and based their objection on a shortage of 
faculty members. 
 
SECURITY: 
 
ZAMAN / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE / EVRENSEL: Jandarma in 
Hatay's Dortyol district opened fire on two persons when they 
reportedly ran away after disobeying jandarma's call to halt. 
One of them died and the other one was wounded.  It was found 
out later that the two persons were working voluntarily as 
village guards.  Meanwhile, a private was wounded during a 
conflict with PKK members in a military operation going on in 
the Amanos Mountain range in Hatay's Hassa district. 
 
ZAMAN:  Terrorists reportedly planted explosives on a 
section of railroad passing nearby a village of Diyarbakir's 
Bismil district.  Security officials noticing the explosives 
safely defused the device and rendered the area safe. 
Meanwhile, security forces patrolling a rural area in Bingol's 
Genc district found terrorists' shelters and ammunition and 
supplies stored in the shelters. 
 
EVRENSEL:       The daily claims that two Sikorsky helicopters that 
took off from Sirnak's Silopi district bombarded the rural 
sections of Zaho in the northern Iraq for three hours the 
previous day.  The villagers in those areas were reportedly very 
anxious because of the bombardment.  No casualties were 
reported. 
 
ECONOMY 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / ZAMAN:    The ground-breaking ceremony of 
the Samsun-Ceyhan Pipeline project, which is a joint venture of 
Turkey and Italy, will be held today in Ceyhan district of 
Adana. 
 
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / ZAMAN:  Jandarma found 
and seized 54,000 packets of smuggled cigarettes in the 
warehouse of a factory in Adana's Organized Industry Zone.  In a 
separate operation in Adana's Yuregir district, jandarma seized 
152 historical artifacts at the house of a person upon receiving 
a tip-off. 
 
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT 
 
EVRENSEL:       The daily points out that those children in 
disadvantaged sections of the society, such as the children of 
seasonal workers, were not able to celebrate April 23 joyfully. 
They were instead working to earn a livelihood for their 
families or they were playing in the slums in front of their 
makeshift tent-homes.  Members of Adana branch of Egitim-Sen 
(Teacher's Union) pointed out that 5 million children in Turkey 
were deprived of the right to receive an education. 
 
        EVRENSEL:       Alevi organizations will hold their biggest 
public meeting on April 28 in Mersin. 
 
GREEN