US embassy cable - 05ADANA59

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 21, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 21, 
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 
 
ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM:   Terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan 
reportedly proposed a system that would bring together the 
followers of the terrorist organization PKK in Turkey, Syria, 
Iraq and Iran. Ocalan named himself leader of a "democratic 
confederalism" and suggested that the movement's flag will be a 
yellow sun and a red star on a green background. The new "flag" 
was used for the first time in many places during Nevruz by his 
followers. According to Ozgur Gundem, "democratic confederalism" 
allegedly aims to solve social problems through democratic 
means, avoiding the use of force and violence. 
 
MILLIYET / RADIKAL / TERCUMAN / HURRIYET / ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET / 
EKSPRES / OZGUR GUNDEM: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a 
celebratory message to all citizens and all Turkish communities 
celebrating Nevruz, with wishes that the new year's arrival will 
bring peace and brotherhood. Large numbers of ethnic Kurdish 
citizens participated in Nevruz nationwide and many other Turks 
celebrated the occasion, as well. Nevruz in Van and Urfa 
provinces reportedly were remarkably well attended compared to 
past celebrations, with numbers reportedly reaching 100,000 in 
Urfa.  Leyla Zana and other Democratic Movement coordinators 
addressed people in Urfa and set the Nevruz fire. In Urfa and 
Kiziltepe, banners read, "We are saluting the leadership of 
'democratic confederalism'". Kiziltepe's Nevruz was dedicated to 
Ugur Kaymaz.  Some there attempted to bring down the Turkish 
flag but security officers brought it back up. In Mersin, where 
50,000 people participated, some groups allegedly turned Nevruz 
into support for the divisive propaganda of the PKK/Kongra-Gel; 
some in that city attempted to burn the Turkish flag. Although 
Nevruz was banned in Tunceli on the grounds that the city's 
Organizing Committee's written request referred to "Newruz," 
instead of the Turkish version "Nevruz", 500 hundred people 
burned the Nevruz fire and shouted slogans supporting Ocalan. In 
Antalya, the police demanded that the banners reading "Newruz" 
be brought down.  DEHAP members protested by sticking black 
adhesive tape over the letter "w." 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Selahattin Gunbay, a 13-year-old boy, was 
allegedly shot dead in Nusaybin, Mardin province, as he was 
shepherding a flock of sheep in the outskirts of Kayadibi 
village, renowned for its village guards.  Gunbay's family 
applied to the Diyarbakir Branch of Human Rights Association and 
claimed that village guards shot their son. 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:  According to various sources, the 
European Court of Human Rights will demand that Turkey prosecute 
Abdullah Ocalan once again. (Note: Cumhuriyet says Sinan Aygun, 
Chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, said this, while 
Ozgur Gundem attributes such statements to Abdullah Ocalan's 
attorneys.  End note.)  Irfan Dundar, Ocalan's attorney, said, 
"The EU will demand this reform from Turkey. The Turkish 
government, which evaded political damage as best it could, is 
now trying to find a formula to solve the issue."  Aygun stated 
that certain countries in the EU are trying to destabilize 
Turkey, sometimes by using the Armenian and Greek diasporas, and 
other times by using "divisive components" within Turkey. 
 
BOLGE / ZAMAN  / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) :  A group of TEKEL 
(Turkish state tobacco group) employees working in TEKEL's Adana 
factory protested against Abdullatif Sener, Deputy Prime 
Minister and State Minister, during an opening ceremony in 
Adana. Adana Governor Cahit Kirac talked with the protestors 
himself and requested that they end their protests. As the group 
shouted slogans, "We won't let TEKEL be sold, we won't let our 
country be sold," and criticized the government, they were taken 
away from the scene within a police circle. 
 
VAKIT:   Huseyin Celik, Minister of Education, was protested 
against during the opening ceremony of a private primary school 
in Adana. The protestors demanded that the graduates of 
Imam-Hatip schools be allowed to attend universities and the 
head-scarf-ban in public places be lifted. 
 
TERCUMAN:       The traffic congestion at the Habur Border gate in 
Sirnak still makes truck drivers uncomfortable as they suffer 
from the pile-up in trucks in front of the gate due to the 
increasing volume of trade between Turkey and Iraq. 
 
EKSPRES / OZGUR GUNDEM / BOLGE: Mehmet Agar, the leader of 
DYP (True Path Party), bitterly criticized the government's 
policies during a party meeting in Adana.  Agar reportedly 
addressed 12,000 people during his speech.  TEKEL and TELEKOM 
employees carried banners and demanded that the government stop 
the privatization of the state enterprises. 
 
BOLGE / OZGUR GUNDEM:   On the second anniversary of the U.S. 
operation in Iraq, a 100-person group marched to the front gate 
of the American Consulate in Adana and chanted slogans saying 
"Murderer U.S.A. Get out of Iraq," "Close down Incirlik 
Airbase," and "Long live the brotherhood of people." Turkish 
Anti-Terror and Riot Police took security precautions and did 
not allow the group to get closer to the building.  Five 
demonstrators left a black wreath in front of the Consulate Gate. 
 
 
 
REID