US embassy cable - 05ADANA67

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000067 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MARCH 31, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for March 31, 
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 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE:        Jandarma General Commander Fevzi Turkeri paid 
a visit to Cahit Kirac, Adana Governor, and stated before their 
meeting that Jandarma's main aim was "to ensure security and 
protect the peace of (our) people". 
 
BOLGE / EKSPRES:        State Minister Ali Babacan, AKP's Group 
Chairmanship in the Turkish Parliament and AKP National 
Headquarters expressed and issued warnings separately to Adana 
AKP MP Abdullah Caliskan, upon Caliskan's negative comments 
regarding the status of the Turkish economy earlier last week 
(see 03/23 press summary). 
 
BOLGE / EKSPRES:        Pursuant to a stipulation in the Provincial 
Administration Law, Adana Governor Cahit Kirac can no longer 
hold the office of the Chairperson of the provincial assembly of 
Adana. According to the regulation, the Chairperson of the 
assembly shall be designated from among the assembly members. 
Consequently, Namik Kemal Urhan was designated as the new 
assembly Chairperson. 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE:        Azim Ozturk, District Mayor of Seyhan, 
evaluated his one-year term in office at a press conference at 
the Seyhan Hotel in Adana. During his address to journalists, 
among other issues he conveyed, Ozturk said that his 
municipality did not manipulate the tendering process of 
Seyhan's Cleaning Services to benefit one firm.  This was in 
response to Adana Mayor Aytac Durak's hints regarding corruption 
with the tender.  Ozturk said that the bidding was perfectly 
legal and was open to fair competition. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The human shield volunteers, who had set off 
for Sirnak with the aim of ending the military operations in the 
Cudi Mountains, arrived at the Jandarma check point fifty 
kilometers from Cizre where it had to wait until seven o'clock 
in the morning on the grounds that the road was closed due to a 
traffic accident.  The group was later stopped thirty kilometers 
from Cizre at the Katran Jandarma Station. 
 
RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:      Those charged with insulting 
the flag in Mersin reportedly may face six to eight years of 
imprisonment. The Mersin Prosecutor's summary states that the 
children were first taken to the Children's Branch of the 
Security Directorate. According to Ozgur Gundem, however, on the 
day of their arrest, the children were reportedly shown to the 
press as they were being brought to the Anti-Terror Branch. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        A group comprising nearly a 
hundred and fifty people chanted slogans saying "We are all 
human shields", "The flag is not the property of chauvinists, 
the flag belongs to the people," in front of the Sirnak DEHAP 
(Democratic People's Party) Provincial Headquarters. DEHAP 
Provincial Chairperson said that the real problem in the 
(Turkish) country was the Kurdish problem rather than the flag. 
 
CUMHURIYET / EKSPRES:   Thirty-one CHP (Republican People's 
Party) deputies issued a joint press announcement and expressed 
strong disapproval of the recent dismissal of deputies, warnings 
issued against MPs, and unfair assignment of people to 
positions. CHP's Adana MP Ziya Yergok is among the MPs who 
signed the declaration. 
 
EVRENSEL:       It is feared that the gun attack in the Hazro 
district of Diyarbakir between the two families (see 03/23 press 
summary), killing one person in one family and wounding another 
person in the other one (district Mayor), may turn into a blood 
feud. Eighteen families, who took sides with the Mayor, 
allegedly had to move to Diyarbakir at the request of the 
Governor's Office. 
 
RADIKAL:        The Turkish government policy that offered high 
salaries to doctors to encourage them to work in the eastern and 
southeastern parts of Turkey turned out to be futile and did not 
draw more doctors to the Hakkari province. Known for 
terror-related problems, its low standard of living, and a lack 
of medical equipment in its hospitals, Hakkari's issues appear 
to have scared off medical personnel. 
 
YENI SAFAK:     The Mayor of Tatvan in Bitlis complained about the 
frequent blackouts experienced due to worn-out power lines. The 
Mayor draws attention to the fact that the lines have not been 
renovated since 1980 and the existing facilities could only 
serve the needs of 20,000 people. Tatvan has a population of 
100,000 however. 
 
 
 
 
REID