Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for September 12, 2006

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SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 12,
2006. 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

OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily claimed that three soldiers died in
two separate clashes that took place between soldiers and PKK
terrorists in a road between Dicle-Ergani districts and Bingol's
Genc district.

ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK: DTP
Chairperson Ahmet Turk held a press announcement with Diyarbakir
Mayor Osman Baydemir, Tunceli Mayor Songul Erol Adil, and DTP
Co-Chairperson Ayesel Tugluk, and made a call to the PKK to
declare unilateral ceasefire in order to start a peaceful and
democratic dialogue to resolve the Kurdish issue.

ZAMAN / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE: Eric Green, U.S. Consul in
Adana, paid a visit to the Association for Solidarity with the
Families of Martyrs from the Security Services in Adana. Green
was welcomed by a veteran who had lost his legs in operations in
northern Iraq. "I wish I could stand up to welcome you. I would
not loose my legs had the US extended timely support to Turkey,"
the veteran said. The newspapers reported that the words of the
veteran cast a chill over the Consul. Consul Green, for his
part, said that more than 3000 people died five years ago on
September 11 in the U.S. and among those killed were also
Turkish nationals. From then onwards, the U.S. started to see
terrorism differently. Mr. Green said that he thought it would
be right on the anniversary of 9/11 to visit people who suffered
from terrorism and from similar horrible tragedies.

EVRENSEL: The daily cites Hurriyet mainstream newspaper as
alleging on its September 11 edition that the PKK "launched very
insidious plans" to counter the public reaction that had
recently soared because of the increasing number of soldiers
dying in clashes in southeastern Turkey. According to Hurriyet,
PKK is planning to sympathize with the families of the martyrs
during the funerals in order to breed reactions against the
government and the military. According to Evrensel daily, the
article that appeared on Hurriyet is also holding Hatip Dicle,
the former DEP deputy, and Mothers for Peace Initiative as
vulnerable to hostile intentions.

OZGUR GUNDEM: PKK reportedly claims that the death of a
10-year-old girl and two PKK guerillas in a car on September 5
in Batman's Kozluk district was allegedly an execution since no
traces were found indicating that there was a clash at the time
of the incident.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Emine Bozkurt, Rapporteur of the European
Parliament's Women's Rights Commission, evaluated the rights of
the women in Turkey and created a report on that. According to
Bozkurt's report the reforms concerning women's rights have
remained only on papers to date in Turkey.

OZGUR GUNDEM: MHP reportedly launched efforts to strengthen
its political base in the Tunceli province.

OZGUR GUNDEM: A person in civilian attire taking photographs
of each student, who are members of Dicle University's Student's
Society in Diyarbakir, as the students stood at the stands they
opened in order to help the students who are newly registering
to the university have reportedly caused disturbance. When the
students asked the person's identity, he reportedly said he was
from Association for Ataturkist Thinking.

OZGUR GUNDEM: People opened fire in the air with shotguns as
they celebrated a wedding ceremony in Van's Saray district
accidentally killed a 31 year-old person.

OZGUR GUNDEM: People from two villages of Kars province
marched to the Governor's Office and protested the authorities
for not addressing the problem of lack of potable water in their
villages.

OZGUR GUNDEM: A quarrel between two families turned into a
fight in Sanliurfa's Hilvan district and one person died from
gunfire by a member of one of the families. Three people were
wounded.

OZGUR GUNDEM: An international human rights organization

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said that conditions have not become suitable in Turkey for
Syriacs to return back to Turkey. The organization reportedly
said that Turkey must make sure that the Syriacs return to a
safe environment.

OZGUR GUNDEM: A fire broke out in forest land near two
villages in Sirnak's Silopi district. Allegations surfaced that
military personnel returning from operations set the forest on
fire.

ZAMAN: Quarantine has been imposed on five districts of
Hatay because of rabies disease that recently affected those
areas.

SABAH (GUNEY): A group of people calling themselves
"Solidarity Platform for Middle Eastern People" protested the
Turkish Parliament which ratified the motion to send Turkish
troops to Lebanon.

EVRENSEL: Construction works on the road in Hakkari connecting
the province to Van province and constituting the only outlet of
the province to the rest of the world have recently ended (see
press summary 09/11) after seven days of work.

RADIKAL: Concerning the security vulnerability scandal at the
Diyarbakir Military Airport which appeared in yesterday's
newspaper reports, the daily quoted an announcement by the
Diyarbakir Governor's Office: "An old and sick woman was
escorted by her daughter to the stairs of the plane with the
permission of security personnel who exercised good-will
judgment. However, since this breached security issues, an
investigation has been started against the personnel."
GREEN

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