VZCZCXRO7260
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0090/01 1781411
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271411Z JUN 07
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RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
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RUETIAA/DIRNSA FT MEADE MD
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1164

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000090 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 27, 2007 
 
 
¶1.      This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 27, 
¶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.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Hakkari Jandarma Command in 
Hakkari renovated a mosque and repaired the bust of Ataturk at a 
school in Hakkari's Cukurca district. 
 
¶3.      CUMHURIYET:     The total number of seats that can be won from 
Agri is five.  According to people in the street, the 
competition in Agri will be mostly between the independent 
candidates and the AKP.  The AKP won three seats in the last 
elections; however, according to people in the street, 
independent candidates are posing a great challenge this year. 
People generally expected that independents could win two seats. 
 PM Erdogan, during his address to the crowds at an election 
rally held in Agri on June 19, warned people that casting votes 
for independent candidates meant those votes would go waste 
since their influence on decisions would be very limited at the 
parliament. 
 
¶4.      GUNDEM: To beat DTP in the elections in the 
southeastern region, AKP kicked off investments in areas where 
DTP won by landslide victory in the last elections, reports the 
daily.  Recently, Minister of Agriculture and Village Works 
announced a project called "Development Project for Diyarbakir, 
Batman and Siirt" covering a total of 500 villages, 38 of which 
are chosen for a pilot project. 
 
¶5.      GUNDEM: British Daily Telegraph newspaper reporters 
went to the northern Iraq and reported that Turkey has been 
shelling the border area to be able to create a 15-kilometer de 
facto buffer zone inside northern Iraq.  Turkey has mobilized 
20,000 soldiers at its border to prevent the PKK from using Iraq 
as a refuge. 
 
¶6.      HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:      Gundem, 
Evrensel and Cumhuriyet dailies claimed that the Ministry of 
Interior started an investigation against members of Van's Third 
Heavy Penalty Court for not conforming to the Supreme Court's 
overturning of the prison sentence issued against the 
non-commissioned officers by Van Court for their involvement in 
the Semdinli bombing in November 2005.  Despite the Supreme 
Court of Appeals decree that the case should be referred to a 
military court, Van's Heavy Penalty Court decided that the 
jurisdiction lied with them and the court reopened the case on 
June 13.  However, Hurriyet daily reports that authorities 
denied news reports that an investigation was opened against 
Van's Third Heavy Penalty Court members. 
 
SECURITY 
 
¶7.      BOLGE:  Terrorists stopped the flow of traffic on a 
road between Tunceli and Erzurum to disseminate propaganda of 
the PKK to people whom they forced out of nearly 100 cars.  PKK 
members told people to cast their votes for the independent 
candidates, reported the local daily. 
 
¶8.      GUNDEM:  The PKK once again denied any PKK involvement 
in the oil tanker suicide attack which targeted Karsilar 
Jandarma Station in Tunceli (see press summaries for June 25 and 
26).  The terrorist organization said no PKK members were killed 
in that incident.  Meanwhile, the funeral of the truck driver 
was held in Adana's Ceyhan district. 
 
¶9.      HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN:  Terrorists remotely 
detonated a mine and killed a soldier during a survey soldiers 
were carrying out in an area in Sirnak's Bestler district.  The 
coffin of the soldier was brought to his hometown, which is 
Agri's Patnos district, for his funeral ceremony.  Another PKK 
mine detonated as Turkish soldiers were traveling on a road in 
Agri's Patnos district killed a private. 
 
ECONOMY 
 
¶10.     GUNDEM: A senior official from the Habur Border Gate 
with Iraq said the closure of the Habur Border Gate because of 
the renovation activities which ended eight months ago, 
adversely affected the operations and dropped the number of 
trucks passing the gate significantly.  Previously, 800-900 oil 
tankers were crossing the gate on a daily basis, however, this 
 
ADANA 00000090  002 OF 002 
 
 
decreased to a daily 70-80 oil trucks, which indicates a 50 to 
60 per cent decrease.  The number of trucks with solid goods, 
which are being processed at the gate, is reportedly at the 
normal levels.  The official denied any links attributed to the 
rumors about a possible Turkish incursion into northern Iraq 
causing the decline in the number of oil trucks processed at the 
gate. 
GREEN