US embassy cable - 05ADANA77

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000077 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 11, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 11, 
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 / BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY) / EKSPRES:        On the occasion of the 
160th anniversary of the Turkish Police Force, major newspapers 
quote President Sezer and PM Erdogan issuing messages to the 
police telling them not to harm public trust; Adana papers' 
coverage of this event include large photos of the official 
celebration and Bolge quotes Governor Cahit Kirac as saying, 
"The Turkish police does its job with love and affection. 
Ninety-four per cent of the matters are solved by means of a 
good dialogue between the police and the public." 
 
BOLGE:  CHP (Republican People's Party) National 
Headquarters reportedly dismissed Adana's CHP Party 
Administration at the end of March (see press summary 3/28). 
Serdar Seyhan, CHP's Adana Provincial Chairman, who kept his 
seat despite the dismissals, reportedly vowed to draft a new 
party administration list after consulting the party's grass 
roots. Bolge reports that Mr.Seyhan has not exchanged ideas with 
party members to date, indicating that he will submit a list of 
people close to him to party headquarters. 
 
BOLGE:  Mehmet Abaci responded to April 8 complaints made 
about him by Adana's Yuregir Municipality's bureaucrats (see 
press summary 4/8).  Abaci denying being assigned as Deputy 
Mayor, said he only worked under the title of "temporary worker" 
in the Municipality, and stated he had never been a business 
partner of the Yuregir Mayor nor was he was the "emperor" of the 
Municipality. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Ozgur Gundem reports the end of the military 
operations in the Cudi Mountain. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   During the 6th Nature and Culture Festival of 
Munzur to be held in Tunceli on July 28th, the Italian Artists' 
Union (ASS Vortici) plans to launch an "Art for Peace" campaign 
to end the conflicts in (Turkey's southeastern) region and to 
increase public awareness of the cultural rights of the Kurds. 
 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Hatip Dicle, a former DEP (Party 
of Democracy) member and currently Democratic Society Movement's 
(DSM) Coordination Council member, said that the (Turkish) Chief 
of Staff should extend an apology for allegedly calling the 
Kurds "so-called citizens" right after the flag-incident in 
Mersin. Speaking at a meeting of DSM in Kars, Dicle reportedly 
added that the "Kurds up in the mountains" (note: read PKK 
members) were ready to quit fighting should democratic laws be 
implemented in Turkey. Dicle expressed his wishes for the end of 
long-living enmities. 
 
CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / YENI SAFAK / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): 
After launching a campaign in Adana calling for the end to the 
U.S. presence in Incirlik Airbase (see press summary 4/7), IP 
(Labor Party) erected a flag with a 100-person group in front of 
the entrance to Incirlik district, where Incirlik Airbase is 
located. MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) and Turk-Is 
(Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions) supported the IP 
demonstration. However, Zaman and Hurriyet Cukurova reports add 
that the small businessmen in Incirlik reportedly support the 
idea of the U.S. using Incirlik as a logistics hub. 
 
BOLGE:  The Human Rights Commission of the Turkish 
Parliament prepared a report about the case of Ugur and Ahmet 
Kaymaz's killing. The report pointed out "The case has several 
(note: unspecified) aspects that must be investigated during the 
prosecution process ...  security forces used excessive and 
undue force during the incident, which put Turkey in a bad 
situation in the eyes of its people and of the EU countries." 
 
EKSRPES:                Ali Mufit Gurtuna, the former Mayor of 
Istanbul, paid a visit to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry 
in Adana and discussed economic and industrial issues. Gurtuna 
said he supported the policy of granting regional incentives. 
During his meeting in the Adana Chamber of Trade, Gurtuna 
criticized the lack of cooperation between Mersin and Adana 
provinces. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The German "human shield" activists asked the 
AKP government to end human rights violations that are caused by 
military operations and to release the "human shield" activists 
who have been arrested. The German "human shield" activists 
released a written statement, which stated that not only the 
(PKK) militants, but also the community in the region and the 
region's ecological system incurred losses. Drawing attention to 
the alleged beatings and mistreatment the activists were 
subjected to during their arrest, the report said that one 
German activist was held in detention and was (allegedly) 
exposed to "psychological torture." 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Despite the ongoing protests (see 
press summary 4/7) from public finance officers, bureaucrats, 
and the public, AKP (Justice and Development Party) government 
ratified the Income Administration Law in the Turkish 
Parliament. 
 
 
 
 
REID