Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for November 28, 2006
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SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 28, 2006
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 28,
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
EVRENSEL: Sinan Yerlikaya, Tunceli deputy from CHP, who said
that nobody could negotiate with the (Turkish) state on
terrorism, further stated that only when the PKK lays down its
arms unconditionally, regulations about a general amnesty could
be brought to the agenda.
EVRENSEL: Thirty-six institutions in Diyarbakir including
mayors, leaders of political parties and civil society
organizations, convened at the Diyarbakir Municipality's theater
hall under the name of "Peace Platform" and made a call to the
authorities to stop the ongoing military operations.
EVRENSEL: A lawsuit has been brought against Salih Yildiz,
Mayor of Hakkari's Yuksekova district, for "making propaganda of
the terrorist organization through utilizing media and press."
YENI SAFAK: DTP issued a statement that voiced harsh criticism
against CHP Leader Deniz Baykal. The statement claimed that the
military operations had continued intensively following the
cease-fire the PKK declared, and, despite much bloodshed since
then, political and military circles, continued to take
advantage of the environment of conflict and clashes. The
statement further said that the CHP leader, instead of behaving
like a political leader, was actually acting like a commander.
BOLGE: Eric Green, U.S. Consul in Adana, came to Van to
conduct a series of visits in the province. Eric Green, who
came to Van via Sun Express Airlines, paid his first visit to
the Mayor of Van and held talks with him nearly for an hour.
SECURITY
EVRENSEL / BOLGE: The troops with 250,000 soldiers that were
amassed at the border area with northern Iraq are preparing to
withdraw from the area where they have been deployed since March
2006. In the first stage, fifteen trucks loaded with cannons
and tanks and carrying soldiers have returned to Hakkari's
Yuksekova district.
HUMAN RIGHTS
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Hatay Women's Platform condemned the
killings in the name of honor in Hatay. The spokesperson of the
platform said that a total of 1137 murders were committed in
2006 in the name of honor.
CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A doctor from Cukurova University's
Balcali Hospital, who was in the center of a scandal, has
recently been convicted, and will serve three years in prison.
The doctor caused his patients to get pregnant by sperms taken
from other men.
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A lawsuit was started against the
district mufti of Kadirli in Osmaniye for attempted fraud in a
tender and for insulting persons who had intentions to submit
bids for a tender.
ECONOMY
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / YENI SAFAK: Kadri Saman, Chairperson of
Mersin's Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said that, despite
there being 23 techno park complexes built in Turkey, Mersin's
Techno-park was one of the 13 techno-parks which has started
operations. The techno-park, which was built on 12.3-acres of
land, is reportedly awaiting to host researchers.
ZAMAN: Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, who opened the
biggest live animal market in Turkey and the Middle East last
Saturday, met with journalists in charge of economic issues.
Baydemir said that instability was a great obstacle against the
development of the province and every bomb exploding in the city
was taking the city six months backwards in terms of its
economy.
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YENI SAFAK: Members of Association for Women Entrepreneurs in
Van's Ercis district paid a visit to the Van Governor Niyazi
Tanilir and gave information about their newly established
association.
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / RADIKAL: The feud that had been going
on between two clans in Mardin's Kiziltepe district was settled
amicably during a dinner that aimed to bring the two clans
together for peaceful end to the drawn-out dispute. 5000 people
attended the dinner event.
ZAMAN: The olive oil factories on the Syrian side of the
Orontes River in Hatay are reportedly polluting the river. The
waters of the river have turned into black color nowadays.
ZAMAN: A fire that broke out in the landfill area of
Mersin, reportedly is under control, according to the
authorities; however, people living around the area are
complaining about the air pollution the fire is causing since it
has not been extinguished yet.
YENI SAFAK: A lawsuit has been opened against three persons who
were part of a group of people that held a protest in front of
the subgovernor's office in Diyarbakir's Cinar district on
grounds that they had not been able to receive any aid after the
flooding that affected the district. The lawsuit was reportedly
brought on charges that the group held an unauthorized
demonstration.
SABAH: Tunceli Governor Mustafa Erkal said that Return to
Villages Project was going on successfully, and people in the
fifty per cent of the villages that were evacuated had returned
to their villages to date.
GREEN