US embassy cable - 05ADANA21

UNCLAS ADANA 000021 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 01, 
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 
 
HURRIYET / MILLI GAZETE / ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET / 
EVRENSEL / VAKIT:       As the bitter cold and heavy snowfall continue 
in many districts in eastern and southeastern Anatolia, the 
state road between Hakkari and Van was closed and many cars 
trapped due to three avalanches. Avalanche-clearing operations 
lasting three hours rescued the cars. The main road between 
Erzurum and Bingol has also been closed and road-clearing 
operations are being conducted, as weather permits.  Hundreds of 
districts have been isolated due to snowfall on the roads, and 
electricity and telephone lines have been damaged. The 
Municipality of Mus requested compensation from the GoT to help 
cover the heavy expenses caused by winter conditions. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM / VAKIT:   Experts claim that the Yenisehir 
district of Mardin, inhabited by 30,000 people, will be exposed 
to the threat of a landslide in the event of an earthquake 
there.  After the earthquakes of Hakkari and Adana, the people 
of Yenisehir fear that an earthquake will hit their hometown, as 
there have been deep fractures in the earth in the vicinity. 
Meanwhile, according to Ozgur Gundem, the Deputy Chairperson of 
DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) and a group of attorneys 
affiliated with the Human Rights Center of Van's Bar Association 
paid a visit to Sutluce village of Hakkari, where an earthquake 
killed two people last week. 
 
EVRENSEL:        Arriving "too late" in Hakkari -- specifically one 
week after the earthquake -- was Mustafa Zeydan, AKP (Justice 
and Development Party) MP from Hakkari, who commented on last 
week's public unrest that arose after allegations of 
insufficient aid to the community.  Zeydan attributed the 
incident to a small group inciting turmoil among people and 
disturbing the peace after the earthquake. When asked why he 
arrived so late in Hakkari, Zeydan said that he had been 
occupied with coordinating all kinds of assistance urgently 
needed by the disaster areas. 
 
MILLI GAZETE:   According to information obtained from the 
Gaziantep Security Director, the number of operations conducted 
against terrorist activities, compared to 2003 figures, declined 
notably by fifty per cent and terrorist activities dropped by 
twelve per cent within the province last year. 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
1.      MILLI GAZETE:   Recent discussions on how to privatize 
the energy distribution networks seem to focus more on 
transferring the shares of operational rights, rather than the 
method of selling the assets to private sector investors. 
According to authorities at the Privatization Administration, 
the privatization process of at least one region should be 
completed by March or April. Privatization of the remaining 
regions should be completed by the end of 2006. 
 
2.      ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:        In Iskenderun, many 
people demonstrated against the decision to privatize the port 
there.  To protest the privatization process, the executive 
board members of Liman-Is (Union of Ports)-Iskenderun Branch and 
workers at the port carried banners reading, "Do not let the 
ports be sold" and "Ports bear strategic importance, we will not 
let them be sold". 
 
3.      BOLGE / EKSPRES / TURKIYE:      The Ninth Administrative 
Court in Ankara has suspended the Privatization Administration's 
decision to shut down SEKA's (Turkish State Paper and Pulp 
Factory) facilities in Izmit.  Nevertheless, 300 workers at 
SEKA's facilities in Mersin continued their expressions of their 
support for the Izmit workers and demands that SEKA be removed 
from the list of entities to be privatized. 
 
4.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / MILLIYET: The Adana Branch of 
the Foundation for SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises), 
Self-Employed People and Executive Officers will hold a meeting 
tomorrow (at Seyhan Hotel) in Adana to embark upon efforts that 
will establish and promote the links of Adana's SMEs with the 
rest of the world. 
 
 
REID