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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000047 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 12, 2007 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 12,2007. 
 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 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: Gundem daily reappeared on the shelves today 
as under the following newspaper title: "Yasamda Gundem" (Life's 
Agenda).  (This summary is from March 9 edition.) 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / EKSPRES / BOLGE:  Police and anti-riot 
teams went to Barabaros quarter of Adana upon receiving a 
tip-off that an unauthorized demonstration would be held there. 
As the police waited at the entrance of the quarter, children 
started gathering around the officers, conversation developed 
between police and children, and the two groups decided to play 
football as they formed two teams each of which was comprised of 
nine players.  The game ended 2-2. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: Mardin Deputy from AKP, Nihat Eri, who 
responded questions from opposition parties over why TSK 
(Turkish Armed Forces) was not undertaking de-mining on the 
southeastern border and the government was instead preparing to 
hold tenders for that task, said that TSK actually undertook 
that task initially, but, at the end of one year of work 
reportedly decided that it would not continue it.  The daily 
claims that TSK's withdrawal revealed a conflict between the 
government and the army. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:      Evrensel daily points out that 
ahead of Newroz celebrations, Ilker Basbug, Land Forces 
Commander, went to Diyarbakir the other day to issue messages 
about upcoming Newroz.  Basbug reportedly told people that 
ending the PKK's existence in the northern Iraq and Iraq's 
territorial integrity were two top priorities for Turkey. 
Yasamda Gundem daily reported that Basbug told people that they 
would not allow people to wear clothes or use fabric or material 
in colors representing Kurdish identity, namely green, yellow 
and red, and, that using those colors would be deemed a 
terrorist act.  The Yasamda Gundem daily interprets that 
development as TSK pressuring people from attending DTP-led 
Newroz celebrations in mass numbers.  The daily further reports 
bitter rivalry between official bodies and DTP-led committee 
concerning Newroz celebrations in Igdir province.  The governor 
announced that they declared state of mobilization for official 
celebrations to be participated by more people than DTP's 
celebrations.  DTP Kiziltepe party organization in Mardin will 
renew its application to hold its celebrations on March 21 
because authorities did not grant permission to Newroz committee 
for March 18.   Committees in Van and Mus requested permission 
from authorities to hold Newroz on March 21.  Committees in 
Hakkari and Bitlis requested permission from authorities for 
March 17. 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE:        Adana Governor Cahit Kirac, who is assigned to 
a new post in Izmir, is paying farewell visits to political 
parties, to associations, to media organizations, to official 
bodies and to local figures of Adana. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: Members of the Democratic People's Initiative 
in Sirnak's Cizre district will hold a protest march against PM 
Erdogan's visit to the district on March 13. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: Ferhan Turk, DTP Mardin Provincial 
Chairperson, who was detained along with five other persons as 
they were making a press announcement to draw attention to 
Abdullah Ocalan's health condition the other day, has been 
arraigned and arrested. The other five people have been 
released. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: People in Diyarbakir will turn off the lights 
for five minutes every day to protest alleged poisoning of 
Ocalan, who has been serving lifetime imprisonment at Island 
Imrali. 
 
SECURITY 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: The daily reports that a 160-vehicle military 
convoy has been dispatched from Diyarbakir's 7th Army Corps 
Command to Sirnak's border areas.  The convoy reportedly 
includes a generator, water barrels and armored vehicles. 
Meanwhile, three soldiers and one PKK member died in an ongoing 
military operation in Sirnak's Mountain Gabar. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: Police in Siirt conducted unannounced raid at 
houses in some quarters of the province the previous day and 
detained four people.  The people reportedly are being 
interrogated currently. 
 
ADANA 00000047  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Unidentified people hurled a Molotov 
cocktail at a bus waiting at the traffic lights in Mersin.  Six 
passengers and the driver was able to get out of the bus without 
being hurt.  Material damage on the bus was reported. 
 
CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT 
 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Jandarma teams that  searched an 
intercity passenger bus traveling from Sanliurfa to Istanbul 
found 8 kilograms of heroin in luggage of three passengers. 
 
ECONOMY 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Gaziantep businessmen were finally given an 
appointment date by PM Erdogan for March 20 to discuss the 
government incentive list that excluded the Gaziantep province. 
A crowded delegation will go to Ankara to meet Erdogan on March 
¶20.  Chairperson of Gaziantep Chamber of Industry said that they 
were hopeful that a positive outcome would ensue their meeting 
with the premier. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Three women, who received small amount of 
loans from a microcredit project in Diyarbakir, opened a small 
business selling "gozleme" pastry.  The women, who got 
successful in the job, are planning to establish chain shops to 
sell their food product. 
 
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT 
 
EKSPRES / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY):  The local 
dailies once again carried on their front pages the light rail 
project the authorities have not been able to realize for 20 
years in Adana. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: A 22-year-old women hung herself and committed 
suicide in Diyarbakir's Bismil district the previous day. 
 
YASAMDA GUNDEM: The daily reported that March 8 World Women's 
Day activities such as meetings and panels were still going on 
provinces such as Van, Hakkari, Kahrmanmaras, Bursa, Istanbul 
and Manisa.  The dailies claimed that in activities where women 
hit the streets shouted slogans in support for Abdullah Ocalan. 
GREEN