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Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for March 24, 2005

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS ADANA 000061

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 24, 2005


This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 24,
2005. 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, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS

BOLGE / ZAMAN / EKSPRES / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Cahit Kirac,
Adana Governor, has been awarded "Governor of the Year" prize at
the "Golden Men of the Year" event which is an annually
organized event of the Ankara-based Baskent Group.

ZAMAN / EKSPRES / BOLGE / MILLI GAZETE: AKP's (Justice and
Development Party) Central Executive Board and PM Erdogan are
going to discuss and decide about party policy concerning Adana
MP Abdullah Caliskan's negative remarks on current economic
issues at a meeting in Adana Chamber of Commerce. The party
administration already warned Caliskan verbally. Erdogan today
stressed that the current foreign trade deficit was no threat to
economic stability in Turkey, as reportedly a response to the
critical remarks both by the MP from AKP and Turkey's Central
Bank Governor, Sureyya Serdengecti.

EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / RADIKAL / BOLGE / HURRIYET / YENI
SAFAK / SABAH (GUNEY) / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / EKSPRES / SABAH
(GUNEY): Disputes about the assault on the Turkish flag in
Mersin still dominate the agenda in local and national papers.
Ozgur Gundem calls for common sense and quotes some reportedly
prominent NGO representatives, who caution against public
announcements that may breed hatred among people. Officials from
DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) will go to Mersin to probe
attack against the (Turkish) flag. Some other local papers and
the Adana Chamber of Industry have proposed launching a campaign
to hang flags everywhere in Turkey. A thousand people comprised
of Turkish nationalist groups broke into the DEHAP district
building in Istanbul and hung a Turkish flag there. Three
children, ages 12 to 14, have been detained in Mersin in
connection with the flag-assault.

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BOLGE / EKSPRES: People and nationalist groups, angry at the
flag-assault, marched in the streets in Adana and chanted
slogans. The crowd criticized Cukurova University's Rector for
his (alleged) impotency when a clash broke out between the
nationalist and the left-leaning students on the occasion of
erecting a Turkish flag during the annual celebration of
Turkey's national anthem. This event took place two weeks ago at
the Cukurova University campus.

ZAMAN: Murat Mercan, Deputy President of AKP (Justice and
Development Party), speaking to an audience at AEI (American
Enterprise Institute) in Washington, D.C., said that the
(Turkish) government is soon to make a decision about the U.S.
requests concerning the Incirlik Airbase.

HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): An anonymous call that a bomb was
planted in a Municipality Theater Hall in Adana caused panic
among the 500-person audience. Bomb squad teams carried out a
search in the theater, but the bomb notice turned out to be a
hoax.

CUMHURIYET: Aytac Durak, Adana Mayor and Chairperson of Turkish
Union of Municipalities, has still not commented on "granting
the right to vote for foreigners in Turkey", an issue which
envisages an amendment in the Turkish Constitution and which is
brought to the agenda by the Council of European Municipalities
and Regions (CEMR) in Europe. CEMR will be sending a delegation
to Turkey soon and will pay a visit to Aytac Durak as well.


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

1. ZAMAN / BOLGE: Celik-Is (Steel Union), discontent with
contract negotiations, decided to go on a stike at the
Iskenderun Iron and Steel Factory in Hatay on May 2.

REID

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