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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000084 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 20, 2007 
 
 
¶1.      This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 20, 
¶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:        MHP Adana party organization has 
reportedly been pursuing a vigorous election campaign.  An MHP 
delegation went to Kozan district in Adana to meet with the 
people and to hear about local issues bothering them.  A 
Gaziantep candidate from MHP solicited votes and pledged to 
clean the mined areas on the Syrian border and reintroduce them 
to people for cultivation.  State Minister Kursat Tuzmen met 
with the journalists at a dinner in Mersin, the province where 
Tuzmen will be running, and talked about the missions he 
envisaged for the Mersin province.  Meanwhile, Dengir Mir Mehmet 
Firat, the former AKP deputy national chairperson and AKP's 
candidate from Adana, who had run in the Mersin province in the 
former elections, has also been campaigning and knocking the 
doors in several different districts of Adana to canvass people. 
 Omer Celik, another Adana candidate from AKP and political 
adviser to the premier, paid visits to AKP's district party 
organizations together with the provincial chairman Mr. 
Attaroglu.  Separately, CHP's Seyhan district party organization 
went to Kucukdikili, a township of Seyhan district in Adana, to 
introduce its candidates to the local people. 
 
¶3.      BOLGE / HURRIYET:       Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan opened a 
food processing facility during his trip to Agri province, 
addressed people in a rally held there, and paid a visit to the 
Agri Governor's Office later.  The next destination of Erdogan's 
ongoing trip is the Igdir province, reports the daily. 
 
¶4.      GUNDEM: Representatives of the women's organizations 
said the twenty-one women's organizations in south-eastern 
Turkey will reportedly endorse independent female candidates. 
 
 
¶5.      EVRENSEL / GUNDEM:      Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir 
paid a visit to a settlement area of Diyarbakir which is 
populated by people who had to migrate from the villages of the 
province.  Women and children, who welcomed him with great 
enthusiasm, reportedly told the issues they had been suffering 
from to the mayor. 
 
¶6.      GUNDEM: Tunceli Municipality introduced into service 
an asphalt plant, and, held an opening ceremony for it.  DTP 
Vice-Chariperson, who delivered a speech during the event, said 
they were being deliberately targeted at, like in the case of 
the Sur District Mayor Abdullah Demirbas who was removed from 
office when he attempted recently to launch a "multi-language 
municipality service" (see press summary for June 15), 
reportedly because they were providing good public services 
without engaging in fraudulent businesses. The daily separately 
noted that the Chamber of Doctors in Diyarbakir issued a written 
announcement protesting removal of the Sur Mayor and 
Municipality assembly members from office. 
 
¶7.      GUNDEM: News chief and a reporter of the Diyarbakir's 
local Soz TV station have been arrested on charges that they 
broadcast news about a judge who allegedly was exiled to the 
office in Diyarbakir from another province on charges of 
bribery. 
 
¶8.      EVRENSEL:       The daily examines the election trends in Van 
and reminds that six deputies from AKP won parliamentary seats 
from Van in 2002 elections.  While the daily points out to 
rumors that votes for AKP will decrease in Van in July 22 
elections since AKP's ticket in Van excluded the leaders of the 
local clans of Van.  However, AKP could work hard until the 
election day and win back the support of the frustrated clan 
leaders.  DTP supports three independent candidates in Van where 
DTP will campaign in three separate election constituencies. 
CHP's ticket in Van gave the first ranking position to a former 
ANAP (Motherland Party) member and the second ranking position 
to a former DYP member. 
 
¶9.      EVRENSEL:       As expiry date of the use of the Incirlik 
Airbase by the U.S. draws near, the daily quotes Abdullah 
Caliskan, Adana Deputy from AKP; Cebrail Daghan, Adana Branch 
Secretary of the Union of General Services Workers; and Mustafa 
 
SIPDIS 
Bagcicek, Adana Branch Secretary of the Human Rights Association 
as objecting to any further extending of the use of the air base 
 
ADANA 00000084  002 OF 002 
 
 
by the U.S. 
 
SECURITY 
 
¶10.     ZAMAN:  As the "Sledgehammer" military operation is 
going on in the south-eastern region of Turkey, the terrorists 
trapped in the region are shifting their locations to northern 
Black Sea region's provinces, reports the daily.  During a 
shootout with the terrorists that erupted in the northern 
Gumushane province, one private was killed and another soldier 
was wounded. 
 
¶11.     ZAMAN / HURRIYET:       The terrorists in a van loaded with arms 
and explosives opened fire at jandarma the previous day at 11.30 
p.m. in Erzincan as the car, which was entering the city center, 
was stopped by jandarma.  Five security personnel, including two 
non-commissioned officers, were wounded in the fire.  Two 
terrorists in the car were caught, and, American-brand M16s, 8 
hand grenades, 1.5 kilograms of explosives, two Kalashnikov 
guns, food and supplies were found in the car.  The security 
forces launched an operation in the area and encountered the 
terrorists who were able to flee from the van.  Four of the 
terrorists were killed. 
 
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT 
 
¶12.     ZAMAN:  Police in Hakkari found and seized 74 
kilograms of heroin during an anti-drug operation conducted in 
the Yuksekova district. 
 
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT 
 
¶13.     GUNDEM: The daily reports that a jail's administration 
in Van required the inmates to pay the fees of the translation 
services when the inmates demanded from the jail administration 
to buy the Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper. 
 
¶14.     SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / EKSRPES / GUNDEM:       Twenty-four year 
old niece of Ahmet Turk, former national chairperson of DTP, was 
drowned in the water canal he was swimming in in Adana.  Turk's 
niece was a student of the medical faculty in the Cukurova 
University. 
GREEN