VZCZCXRO0764
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0069/01 1300514
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100514Z MAY 07
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4519
INFO RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1065
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0918
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 1122

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000069 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 09, 2007 
 
 
¶1.      This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 09, 
¶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: 
 
¶2.      BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY):        CHP Adana provincial 
party organization started first of its meetings concerning the 
election agenda together with the district chairmen of the 
party.  MHP Adana Provincial Chairperson Yilmaz Tankut resigned 
from his office which is a required action for candidates 
working at public offices, to run in the upcoming election. 
Former Provincial Director of Environmental Issues also resigned 
from her office to run in the next election period for CHP. 
Mete Aslan, District Mayor of Iskenderun in Hatay, is reported 
as giving up the idea of declaring candidacy because the people 
of Iskenderun reportedly did not want him to resign.  The 
dailies cite some other names resigning from offices: some 
doctors working at several state hospitals of Adana, some 
professors working at Cukurova University, an AKP executive 
board member, a member of provincial administration, chairperson 
of MUSIAD's (Independent Businessmen Association) Adana chapter, 
etc. 
 
¶3.      SABAH / EVRENSEL / GUNDEM:      DTP National Chairperson 
Ahmet Turk, during a speech he delivered at a 2-day meeting of 
DTP in Diyarbakir, harshly criticized The Turkish General Staff 
for issuing a warning on April 27 on its internet site during a 
period of presidential election process.  Turk branded the 
warning an open declaration of a military coup.  Turk further 
said that the political parties in Turkey failed to defend the 
essential principles of democracy.  Turk noted that Turkish 
society was divided into camps, namely secularist and 
non-secularists, and this was an outcome most desired by the 
statutory forces.   Turk claimed that they wanted to emerge as a 
third force who would uphold democratic values. 
 
¶4.      HURRIYET:       The daily reports claims that Ahmet Turk, 
National Chairperson of DTP, and Sirri Sakik, former DEP deputy 
and current Vice-Chairperson of DTP, paid a visit to Murat 
Karayilan, PKK's leader residing in the Qandil Mts. of the 
northern Iraq last week to discuss the election strategy of DTP. 
  Circles close to DTP reportedly say that DTP, at the end of 
the ongoing 2-day meetings in Diyarbakir, is strong leaning 
toward fielding independent candidates.  Those circles also 
claimed that such an outcome would be declared to Abdullah 
Ocalan with a visit that would be paid to him. 
 
¶5.      EVRENSEL / GUNDEM:      Cizre Mayor Aydin Budak (from DTP) 
was arrested towards the end of March because of a speech he 
made during Newroz celebrations in Cizre on March 21 (also see 
press summary for April 4).  The first hearing of the court was 
held yesterday and Budak is reportedly facing 7.5 years of 
prison sentence.  Despite that his court-ordered release during 
the trial process, since Budak is standing trial on another 
court case that ordered his arrest, it was decided that he not 
be released.  A crowd reportedly waited outside the court hall 
to extend support to Budak, and brief tension erupted when 
police attempted to disperse the crowd. 
 
¶6.      GUNDEM: A faculty member of the Divinity School at 
Dicle University resigned from his office to run as a candidate 
of DTP in Adiyaman during elections. 
 
¶7.      GUNDEM: The daily reports on its front page that it 
has been 15 days since Abdullah Ocalan was confined in a special 
cell as a penalty in the prison at which he was being kept. 
Ocalan reportedly told his attorneys that the confinement 
started on April 25 and would last 20 days.  The penalty was 
given reportedly because Ocalan "had the members of the PKK 
trained, and, made propaganda of the terrorist organization." 
 
ECONOMY 
 
¶8.      ZAMAN / BOLGE / EVRENSEL:       Nearly 1000 workers at the 
port of Mersin, upon learning that privatization agreement would 
be signed on May 11 (see press summary for May 8), gathered at 
the port and called for active protest against the privatization 
of the port. 
 
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT 
 
¶9.      GUNDEM:   The daily claims that a female PKK member, 
 
ADANA 00000069  002 OF 002 
 
 
who was allegedly executed by security forces as she was 
allegedly caught without weapons in Hatay's Hassa district on 
May 5 (see press summary for May 7), was buried in Mardin's 
Mazidagi district and the funeral was held under intense control 
of the police.  The funeral car was stopped as it set off from 
Hassa, and, police checked identities of the people in the 
convoy that followed the funeral car.  As the convoy reached 
Mazidagi the police stopped the convoy and temporarily seized 
the identity cards of the people until the end of the funeral. 
At the cemetery, the police reportedly took footage of the 
people who attended the funeral. 
 
¶10.     HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    A nine-year-old 3rd grade student 
from Mersin's private TED High School ranked third in the World 
Inter-School Chess Competition which was held in Greece between 
April 26 and May 6. 
GREEN