Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for August 15, 2005

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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000150

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 15, 2005

1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August
15, 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

1. SABAH (GUNEY): Hulusi Kilic, Turkey's Consul General in
Aleppo, has been assigned to a new position in the Foreign
Ministry. As Kilic paid a visit to Hatay Governor Abdulkadir
Sari to bid farewell, Sari said Kilic has made important
contributions to strengthening of relationships between Syria
and Turkey. (This article is from 08/13 edition.)

2. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily's front page coverage read,
"Erdogan went to Diyarbakir, but people (in Diyarbakir) did not
go to listen to him." During his visit in Diyarbakir, PM
Erdogan, "instead of announcing viable solutions to improve an
environment of violence", reportedly delivered a speech on his
government's economic merits. The people listening to Erdogan
reportedly regarded PM's messages as positive, but not
sufficient in essence, and people were reportedly frustrated
about not hearing a call for peace. (This article is from 08/13
edition.)

3. OZGUR GUNDEM: Diyarbakir's Mayor Osman Baydemir said
that the Kurdish people were not fighting in the mountains to
pass leisure time. Should an environment of democracy prevail,
then the Kurds would not have to resort to armed fighting, said
Baydemir. Baydemir further stated that it was an important step
for PM Erdogan to state the name of the problem in his speech
and to acknowledge that the (Turkish) state has made some
administrative mistakes (against the Kurds) in the past.
Baydemir said that the time had come to take concrete steps to
solve the issue without ever compromising on principles of
democracy. (This article is from 08/13 edition.)

4. ZAMAN: Governor's Office in Hakkari and the
Directorate of National Highways and Roads separately said that
their offices had been prioritizing demands coming from military
officials in response to the military officials' complaints that
soldiers were dying because the roads used by the security
officers and soldiers had not been covered with asphalt despite
the military's demands to do so. Roads without asphalt were
reportedly making military personnel vulnerable to mine attacks.
(This article is from 08/13 edition.)

5. EKSPRES / BOLGE: Hasan Yaman, MHP Provincial Chairperson

of Adana's Seyhan district criticized PM Erdogan because of the
speeches Erdogan made in his Diyarbakir visit. For Hasan, PM's
speeches incited separatism among the people, and Hasan urged
prosecutors to take action in this respect.

6. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A road in Gaziantep's city center
nearby an old bazaar where hand-made copper articles are being
sold collapsed, and interconnected caves, which were used as
arsenals during the Liberation War of Turks (in 1920s) were
revealed.

7. OZGUR GUNDEM: In response to PM Erdogan's speech
saying that the (Turkish) state would face the mistakes it had
made in the past, NGOs (in the southeastern Turkey) urged PM
Erdogan to correct those past mistakes through open dialogue
with the Kurdish movement's representatives, resolving the
region's still-unsolved murders and people's disappearances, and
remedying the affects of forced migration.

8. OZGUR GUNDEM: Orhan Dogan, one of the representatives
of the DTH (Democratic Society Movement), said that PM Erdogan
should be given a chance to fulfill the promises he made in
Diyarbakir. In line with that, Dogan said the PKK/Kongra-Gel
terrorist organization must stop its activities in the region.
Meanwhile, DEHAP National Chairperson Tuncer Bakirhan said that
Kurds should also take steps following the statements Erdogan's
statements to end armed activities.

9. ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM: PKK terrorist organization is
reportedly "celebrating the 22nd anniversary of taking up arms."
PKK reportedly issued a call for the Kurdish people to work
actively for the campaign that reportedly aims to liberate the
terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan. Meanwhile, the dailies cite
many incidences occurring during the celebrations in Istanbul,
Adana, Izmir and Sirnak's Silopi district.

10. OZGUR GUNDEM: A military operation was reportedly
launched in the Elazig province responding to the explosion
which took place as the convoy of cars, including Elazig
Governor Kadir Kocdemir's car, was passing on a road in Elazig
(on an unspecified date).

11. ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM: Jandarma revealed that temporary
village guard Muhyettin Sengul was killed by his own son and not
by PKK terrorists two days ago. Relatives of Sengul had earlier
claimed that PKK killed him.
12. ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM: Mehmet Agar, National Chairperson
of DYP (True Path Party), reportedly said that PM Erdogan,
instead of resolving the issues, had caused greater problems
with the statements uttered during his Diyarbakir visit. Agar
reportedly said that PM Erdogan carried out his visit to a
province of Turkey, as if he was visiting another country. Agar
blamed PM Erdogan for being ignorant about what liabilities the
PM's words in Diyarbakir would create for him in the future, and
Agar further blamed Erdogan for conveying different political
messages to, for example, a mother of a martyr in Izmir
province, and to the people in Diyarbakir province.

13. CUMHURIYET: Four alleged PKK/Kongra-Gel terrorists were
caught in Batman while preparing for a bomb attack at the Batman
city center using four kilograms of A-4 explosives. The
authorities have not provided any information about the targets
of the terrorists, but specialists said that the terrorists
might have been targeting the petroleum refinery in Batman.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

1. ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES: The business world in Adana
is reportedly getting ready for the third of "Cukurova
Industrial and Commercial Fair" which will be held between
September 26 and October 2 in Adana.

2. BOLGE / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY) / OZGUR
GUNDEM: The port of Mersin has been sold to a consortium of
companies from Turkey and Singapore for 755 million USD for a
period of 36 years.

3. SABAH (GUNEY): Gaziantep's and the southeastern
region's exports have increased by 38 percent in the first seven
months of the year.

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