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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000083 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 15, 2007 
 
¶1.      This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 15, 
¶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.      EKSPRES ONLINE/ HABERLER.COM / HABER3.COM:  Eric Green, 
the U.S. Consul to Adana, who has recently been to Van, Hakkari 
and Sirnak, said in Sirnak's Cizre district, "This issue 
(incursion) is being discussed at all levels of our government. 
The views of the U.S. about a possible Turkish incursion in Iraq 
are clear."  Green, who said that the area the Consulate covered 
was large and was extending from Mersin to Van province, further 
continued that they were routinely paying visits to those areas 
and meeting with governmental and non-governmental authorities. 
Green told journalists that he was with the Chairperson of 
Cizre's Chamber of Commerce and Industry today.  Green said 
that, since the U.S. government was sending goods to the 
coalition forces in Iraq through the Habur Border Gate in 
Sirnak, he would visit the Gate tomorrow.  Green added that 
whenever he comes to this region, he was also paying a visit to 
the Gate. 
 
¶3.      RADIKAL / SABAH / NTVMSNBC.COM / GUNDEM / ZAMAN:        The 
Council of State decreed that Sur District Mayor Abdullah 
Demirbas should be suspended from office and the municipality 
assembly should be dropped on grounds that the municipality 
decided to launch a "multi-language municipality service for the 
citizens." The judicial body stated that such a service was not 
conforming to the Turkish Constitution and the Turkish laws. 
Such an implementation transgressed the boundaries of exercising 
basic human rights and liberties, and it displayed a nature that 
was in disharmony with such rights.  Gundem daily further 
reports that attorneys of Demirbas regarded the decision as 
against democracy and the rule of law, and, they would appeal 
the verdict of the Council of State. 
 
¶4.      HURRIYET ONLINE/ EKSPRES / GUNDEM:      The Turkish General 
Staff filed a complaint against Alaattin Erdogan, DTP assembly 
member, and Erdogan was arrested yesterday in Mersin by 
anti-terror branch of the Mersin police on charges of 
denigrating the Turkish State and the Turkish General Staff at 
the parliament of the U.K. last year.  Erdogan was brought to 
Adana, was arraigned and arrested. 
 
¶5.      HURRIYET ONLINE / GUNDEM:       The title chosen by Hurriyet 
online daily reads: "Unfortunate remarks from DTP."  DTP 
announced the conclusions arrived at its Party Assembly's 
meeting held yesterday as follows: 1- DTP argued that army's 
recently increasing death toll was a consequence in the first 
place of not conforming to the "unilateral ceasefire" (declared 
by the PKK). DTP had actually made a call for the cease-fire 
which was reportedly supported by many circles. DTP, described 
the situation in which many young people were dying each day, as 
extremely disappointing, however, DTP expressed a strong 
commitment to continue struggling for democratic processes and 
not to yield and let despair win. 2- The call of the Turkish 
General Staff to Turkish people to show a "collective reaction" 
against terrorism was aiming to turn peoples as enemies of each 
other.  3- DTP had serious concerns over whether July 22 
parliamentary elections would be held in a democratic and 
healthy environment.  The government, which did nothing in the 
past to remove the anti-democratic election threshold, is even 
defending today the idea to postpone the elections in an attempt 
to block the entrance of its opponents to the parliament.  In a 
parallel fashion, the Higher Election Board vetoed the candidacy 
of former DEP deputies: Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim 
Sadak, despite that their prosecution process was still not 
ended.  (This is openly a stealing of the willpower, writes the 
Gundem daily.) 4- DTP demanded that Alaattin Erdogan, DTP 
assembly member, who was arrested yesterday in Mersin on charges 
of insulting Turkish General Staff at the parliament of the 
U.K., should be released.  Meanwhile, as Ahmet Turk and Aysel 
Tugluk resigned from DTP party chairmanship and deputy 
chairmanship, party assembly appointed new names as acting 
chairman and acting deputy chairman.  Gundem daily, as it points 
out that the Kurdish issue and funerals of martyrs were being 
abused as ingredients of domestic politics, the authorities 
should perceive the internal dynamics, and, the issues should 
better be solved through democratic methods instead of resorting 
to such anti-democratic ways as cross-border operations. 
 
¶6.      ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY):        CHP Adana party 
 
ADANA 00000083  002 OF 002 
 
 
organization introduced its candidates to the Adana people with 
a meeting it held at the Seyhan Hotel. 
 
¶7.      EVRENSEL:       The daily claims that the soldiers from the 
Provincial Jandarma Command in Diyarbakir allegedly are putting 
pressure on some villagers and telling them not to cast votes 
for independent candidates.  Separately, the daily notes that 
Sezgin Tanrikulu, Chairperson of Diyarbakir Bar Association, who 
was one of the 37 independent candidates, withdrew his candidacy 
in Diyarbakir. 
 
SECURITY 
 
¶8.      RADIKAL / SABAH / HURRIYET / NTVMSNBC.COM / CNNTURK.COM: 
 A major was killed and two privates were wounded by a mine that 
was remotely detonated by the PKK members on a village road in 
Hakkari's Yuksekova district the previous day as a military unit 
was returning from a patrolling mission on foot at around 4 p.m. 
 A ceremony was held for the major in Hakkari's Commando Brigade 
Command at 9 a.m. today (June 14) and the coffin has been sent 
to the hometown of the soldier.  Separately, a commissioned 
officer was killed in a shootout in Karakocan district of 
Elazig. 
 
¶9.      HURRIYET (ONLINE):      A blast took place at a bus stop 
in Ofis section of Diyarbakir because of an explosive placed on 
the seat of a bicycle parked on a street.  Seven people were 
wounded, one of them seriously.  There was a non-commissioned 
officer among the wounded. The authorities have not been able to 
identify the type of the explosive yet.  Minister of Interior 
said the way the blast took place reminded them of the methods 
the PKK generally used in such attacks, but they would not be 
able to tell for certain until the experts completed their 
investigation. 
 
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT 
 
¶10.     HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Police in Ceyhan stopped a car and 
searched it. Police found 7.5 kilograms of hashish hidden in the 
car.  Separately, Hakkari police seized 5 tons of smuggled fuel 
oil in Hakkari. 15 people were detained during the 
anti-smuggling operation. 
GREEN