US embassy cable - 05ADANA13

UNCLAS ADANA 000013 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 12, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for January 12, 
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 
 
CUMHURIYET / SABAH / TERCUMAN / RADIKAL / MILLIYET / HURRIYET / 
MILLI GAZETE / ZAMAN / YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL / TURKIYE / OZGUR 
GUNDEM: Trilateral talks were held between Iraq, Turkey and 
US yesterday. U.S. Iraq Commander General John Abizaid expressed 
the U.S. side's desire to continue to use the Incirlik Airbase 
(in Adana). On the other hand, the Turkish side insisted that 
the existence of PKK in northern Iraq should be removed with a 
cooperative effort. 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / ZAMAN:      Five ministers, headed by 
State Minister Guldal Aksit, are launching a new project to help 
Turkey's street children and to prevent crime. Aksit said, "The 
project will be initiated in Istanbul, later to include other 
big cities such as Ankara, Diyarbakir, Adana, Mersin, Bursa, 
Antalya and Izmir." Aksit said that centers will be established 
to offer the children medical and psychological help. 
 
 
CUMHURIYET:     The safest and the most insecure cities of Turkey 
are listed in a recent survey called "Big Cities and Security" 
conducted by Mustafa Sonmez, a researcher and an author. 
According to the results of the survey, the most insecure cities 
are Istanbul, Antalya, Gaziantep and Mersin and the safest ones 
are Trabzon, Sanliurfa, Kahramanmaras and Konya. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The private School for Kurdish Language 
Teaching started its first day of classes in Kiziltepe, Mardin. 
The students expressed their wishes that Kurdish be taught in 
the state schools as well. 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:      Hacer Kocak, who has been working 
as a teacher in the state schools for the last fifteen years, is 
removed from office on the grounds that she has participated in 
a press announcement in July 2004 to protest the operation 
"Return to Life", which was conducted in December 2000 in jails 
of Turkey. 
 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A military operation has been started in the 
Gabar Mountain of Sirnak. The village guards are also providing 
support to the operation and the troops are being dispatched to 
the region. 
 
ZAMAN / VAKIT / MILLI GAZETE:   A veteran, whose lower part of the 
body was paralyzed due to a mine explosion during a military 
operation of Turkey against terrorists in northern Iraq, is 
granting one third of his salary every month to the poor people 
coming from southeastern region of Turkey to Adana. 
 
SABAH:  Four families, which were among people who had 
migrated to northern Iraq because of the ongoing terror after 
1990 in the (southeast) region, arrived at Habur border gate to 
return to their villages in Turkey. These people gained the 
right to demand compensation for the damages and losses they 
have incurred because of the terror and anti-terror activities. 
 
 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
 
1.      MILLI GAZETE / EKSPRES / BOLGE / TURKIYE:       Adana is going 
to establish its infrastructure for the inaugration of natural 
gas use within the city. The EPDK (Energy Market Regulatory 
Authority) announced yesterday that Adana is included in the 
list of cities that will benefit from the natural gas delivery. 
 
 
 
 
REID