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Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for November 07, 2006

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000238

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 07, 2006


This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 07,
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

HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Hakkari Governor Ayhan Nasuhbeyoglu and
some commanders went to the Yuksekova district in Hakkari and
heard problems of the tradesmen there on a local level, and
talked with people in the streets. The tradesmen requested from
the military officers to let soldiers shop in the downtown
district.

EKSPRES / BOLGE: DSP (Democratic Left Party) in Adana opened a
stand with a condolence book for people to express their
feelings upon former premier Bulent Ecevit's passing away.

BOLGE: Adana Mayor Aytac Durak extended condolences to
Turkish people upon the passing of Bulent Ecevit. Durak said
that not every person holding authority has been able to remain
honest like Bulent Ecevit in the course of his/her duties.

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OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily points out that Bulent Ecevit had
always taken a stance against the democratic rights of the
Kurds, and he was never able to comprehend the reasons behind
why the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was surrendered to Turkey on
February 16, 1999, during his premiership.

OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Chairperson Ahmet Turk harshly criticized
PM Erdogan who said that the situation was being exaggerated,
after the flooding incidents in the southeastern region. Turk
asked, "Are 40 people killed in the disaster not enough for PM
Erdogan?"

OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily continues to voice its allegations
which were reported on October 19 about a mass grave found in
Mardin's Nusaybin district. The daily points out that the
remains in the grave could belong to Armenians and Syriacs who
were allegedly killed in 1915.


BOLGE / ZAMAN: French Ambassador to Ankara, Paul Poudade,
paid a visit to the Mersin Governor and told the Governor that
the current government [in Paris] was not backing the bill that
made it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide and that the issue
must be left to historians.

SECURITY

OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Turkish Armed Forces launched a
large scale operation against the PKK in Siirt's Kurtalan and
Eruh districts. Meanwhile, Mahmut Alinak, DTP provincial
chairperson in Kars, said that they would undertake actions to
stop the operations unless the military operations going on in
the southeastern region despite the cease-fire were stopped.
Alinak said that their patience was running out.

ECONOMY

SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / ZAMAN: A business delegation from
Adana's Chamber of Industry went to Iran following the
delegation's visits to Greece, Syria, and Iraq. Adana Governor
Cahit Kirac is also a member of the delegation.

BOLGE: Last week's rains lowered the quality of cotton
cultivated in the fields of the Cukurova region by 35 per cent.
Provincial Director of Agriculture said that the cotton yield,
which was anticipated as 200,000 tons, will be badly affected
from the recent situation.

CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT

HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY): Diyarbakir and
Erzincan police seized 52.5 kilograms of heroin in an anti-drug
operation conducted in the Diyarbakir city center. Separately,
in an operation conducted against illegal arms in Gaziantep,
police seized 9 pistols smuggled to Turkey from the northern
Iraq, and detained four people. Police also found anti-aircraft
and G-3 bullets at the houses and businesses of the smugglers.

CULTURE / SOCIETY

EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Heavy rains affecting the

ADANA 00000238 002 OF 002


southeastern region caused flooding incidents, one of which
recently hit Hakkari's Semdinli district. Three people
disappeared and four people were wounded there. 150 houses have
been evacuated. The daily points out that, like in the recent
flooding in Batman, the Governor's Office of Hakkari reportedly
rejected the Semdinli Municipality's request for a helicopter to
access the quarters which the flooding hit because of the bad
weather conditions. Semdinli Mayor Hursit Tekin made a call for
urgent aid to be sent to the province and said that water
network, electricity and telephone lines were down in the
district. 65 civil society organizations, and municipalities in
the region, which the daily reports the latter as from DTP, have
been sending aid to the area and making calls for the government
to declare the region as a disaster zone. The organizations,
which expressed that PM Erdogan was informed insufficiently
about the disaster in the region, made a call to the prime
minister [asking him] to visit the region.

RADIKAL: The daily reports that three people were wounded and
three people disappeared in yesterday's flooding in Hakkari's
Semdinli district.

OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: The flooding which hit Batman a
week ago damaged 10,000 houses and affected 62,841 people,
according to the damage assessment studies of the Batman
Governor's Office. Kizilay (The Red Crescent) delivered 600
blankets, 400 beds, and 218 heaters to the people. DTP's Batman
provincial party organization launched a cleaning campaign in
the quarters badly hit by the flooding. The flooding affected
Adiyaman province as well, and 50 houses and businesses were
washed and covered by the flood waters. The municipality
workers and people struggled to discharge the flood waters from
the houses.

BOLGE / EKSPRES: Furniture manufacturers marched towards the
Seyhan Municipality in Adana when the municipal authorities
attempted to close down nearly 200 businesses lacking official
documents required to conduct business.

BOLGE: Group of students in Mersin University of Mersin,
Cukurova University of Adana, and Mustafa Kemal University in
Hatay protested YOK (Higher Education Council) on the day that
marked the 25th anniversary of YOK's foundation.
GREEN

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