US embassy cable - 05ADANA123

UNCLAS ADANA 000123 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 8, 2005 
 
Consulate Adana is providing this press scan for June 8.  Please 
note that Turkish press reports often contain errors or 
exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for the accuracy 
of the reports summarized here. 
 
1-People are trying to heal the wounds that a 5.7-magnitude 
earthquake caused one day before in Karliova district of Bingol. 
54 people were injured. 
 
2-According to a TNP announcement, five persons who had arrived 
in Istanbul after allegedly having been trained about bombs in 
terrorist organizations' camps,  were taken into custody as a 
result of a military operation.  They reportedly were found to 
have links to the killings of two (unspecified) persons, in 
Diyarbakir and Bingol. 
 
3-Diyarbakir Bar Association filed a complaint with the 
Diyarbakir Prosecutor against the decision of Diyarbakir's 6th 
Heavy Penalty Court to allow MIT intelligence center to wiretap 
communications in southeastern Turkey. 
 
4-The Second Chief of Staff, Ilker Basbug, said that it was not 
enough only to list the PKK among the list of terrorist 
organizations. He noted that the terrorist organisation should 
be deprived of its external resources and should absolutely be 
discouraged about being succesful. Basbug strongly rejected the 
idea of depicting Turkey as 'moderate islam'. He stressed that 
Turkey was a secular country. 
 
5-The Ministry of Agriculture has still been not able to work 
out a solution to resume vegetable and fruit exporting to Russia. 
 
6-The Office of the Governor in Agri reportedly did not allow 
the Mayor of Dogubeyazit (from DEHAP) to go abroad. Another 
example of the same practice was reportedly implemented by the 
Urfa Governor a week ago, when Suruc Mayor Ethem Sahin was not 
allowed to go abroad. 
 
7-In a monthly Municipality Assembly meeting in Van, SHP 
members, claiming that there was corruption in some of the 2004 
municipality tenders of the Van Municipality (AKP), demanded 
that the reports be opened to scrutiny. The tension rose in the 
meeting and plastic bottles and plates were thrown in the 
meeting hall. AKP members vetoed the demand of SHP members. 
Separately, tension between the AKP and CHP members was 
reportedly aggravated in the Municipality Assembly of Seyhan 
district in Adana, when a CHP member invited Seyhan's Mayor from 
AKP (Azim Ozturk) to a debate corruption issues concerning the 
Municipality on a TV program. 
 
8-Turkish Journalists' Union and Private Radio Television 
Broadcasters' Association reportedly invited 20 Armenian 
journalists to Turkey. The journalists will be hosted in Ankara, 
Istanbul, Antalya and Cappadoccia. 
 
9-Mazlum-Der Deputy National Chaireperson applied to the Office 
of the President through the Office of the Sanliurfa Governor to 
request information about MIT intelligence center's latest 
wiretapping. 
 
10-The NGOs in Mersin gathered to stage a protest against the 
New Turkish Penal Code, isolation of the inmates in jails and 
people being taken into custody. 
 
11- Nine of 10 people detained in Mersin  for participating in 
Nevruz celebrations, conducting unauthorised demonstrations, and 
damaging property during the demonstration, were released by the 
court because of a lack of evidence about the claims. 
 
12-The Office of the Governor in Sirnak is reportedly not 
allowing a 60-person clan to go to their area in Farasin 
highland to pass the summer. The clan members claim that they 
were not allowed to go to their land despite the fact that they 
paid a rental fee to the Governor's Office. 
 
13-Adana Deputy Metropolitan Mayor and member of Seyhan District 
Municipality Assembly, Prof. Ali Goren, was attacked and beaten 
by four people at the Municipality building as he was exiting a 
meeting hall. Goren was healthy enough to go to the police 
station and submit his statement there, but his condition got 
worse and he was taken to the Adana Numune Hospital. Goren is 
conscious but his condition is being watched under intensive 
care. 
 
REID