US embassy cable - 05ADANA168

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000168 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 23, 
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 / SABAH / RADIKAL:        The Van Anti-Terror Branch, 
obtaining intelligence about seven terrorists residing in a 
house in Van, conducted a raid on the house.  Alleged terrorists 
opened fire during the raid.  Three terrorists were killed, and 
a further four were caught alive.  Two kilograms of C-4 
explosives and 2 blocks of TNT explosives were reportedly found 
in the house.  Reportedly, two of the terrorists killed were 
ones who perpetrated the September 17 attack on a Van Police 
Station, which killed two police officers. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily reported that the operation 
conducted against a house in Van, killing three alleged 
terrorists, was an as "extra-judicial killing."  According to 
the paper, the police killed innocent people and declared them 
as terrorists afterwards "on the very day the PKK/Kongra-Gel 
declared that it prolonged the ceasefire." 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    President Ahmet Nejdet Sezer, who came 
to Gaziantep for the opening of Gaziantep University's academic 
year yesterday, met today at the Governor's Office with the 
provincial businessmen.  Reportedly, the businessmen conveyed to 
the President their concerns about the antional incentive list's 
omission of Gaziantep province. 
 
ZAMAN:  Mehmet Agar, the DYP (True Path Party) national 
leader, said that he and his Kurdish origin friends had fought 
together against the terrorist organization PKK.  Agar further 
added that belonging to another ethnic origin did not prevent 
people from being loyal to the (Turkish) flag. 
 
BOLGE:  Veysel Oguz, the MHP (National Movement Party) 
Mardin Provincial Chairperson, paid a visit to Yilmaz Tankut, 
the Adana Provincial Chairperson.  During his visit, Oguz said 
that tension has flared up in the (southeastern) region as a 
result of PM Erdogan's Diyarbakir speech early in August. 
According to Oguz, there exists no "Kurdish problem" in the 
region. 
 
EKSPRES:        Hasan Yaman, the MHP provincial chairperson of 
Adana's Seyhan district, said that a new border gate, which 
would open to Tel Afar in Iraq, should be opened and the Habur 
border gate in Sirnak be closed.  According to Yaman, the PKK 
has been benefiting from revenue gained from the Habur Gate. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A dog biting three villagers and two cattle in 
Hakkari's Durankaya town raised suspicion that the dog might 
have rabies. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The dead body of a young male person, who was 
approximately 22 years old, was found nearby a road between the 
Halfeti and Birecik districts of Sanliurfa Two days ago. 
Reportedly, Birecik State Hospital will bury the dead, unless 
somebody claims the body. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The paper claims that Turkey and Iran have 
completed their joint military operations in and bordering on 
Van's Baskale district.  According to the paper, military 
operations have been intensified.  A military unit in Hakkari's 
Cukurca district has reportedly been bombarding Turkey's border 
with northern Iraq. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  A big Turkish flag was found on a roadside in 
a torn and ragged condition in Mersin.  The police, upon 
receiving notice of the flag, suspected that a bomb might have 
been placed under the flag.  However, the bomb squad teams, 
which were called to the scene, found no bombs at the spot. 
 
RADIKAL:        A lawsuit was initiated in Mardin against 13 
soldiers, who allegedly have "breached the rules about firearms 
use, and caused the death of people in such a way that the 
perpetrator of the killing remains unknown" in October 2003 in 
Kovali village of Mardin. 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
1.      EKSPRES / (CUKUROVA):   A group comprised of the senior 
leaders of Adana, under the leadership of Abdullah Torun, Adana 
deputy from AKP, and including the provincial chairperson of 
AKP, the Adana mayor, chairpersons of chambers and agricultural 
associations, held a press announcement.  The group announced 
that they were committed to forming a lobby that would fight for 
the inclusion of Adana in GoT's agricultural incentive program. 
 
2.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Gaziantep's 5th Gapfood Fair 
(Food, Food Technologies and Packaging), which has been 
organized by Gaziantep Chamber of Industry, was opened yesterday 
with a ceremony to which Binali Yildirim, Minister of 
Transportation, attended as well. 
 
 
REID