US embassy cable - 05ADANA173

UNCLAS ADANA 000173 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 3, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 3, 
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:  Ministry of Interior reportedly issued a "top 
secret" circular that cautioned governors' offices, university 
 
SIPDIS 
administrations and security directorates against terrorist 
organizations' attempts to stir up ideological conflicts among 
people, especially through exploiting "Turkish-Kurdish and 
Alawi-Sunni" differences. 
 
ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET:     Zaman cites an article that the French 
daily Le Monde published.  According to the article, the PKK 
fears that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan started cooperating 
with the "deeper state" in Turkey.  Cumhuriyet daily further 
cites that Nizamettin Tas, a senior leader of the PKK, who 
severed his ties with the organization, allegedly met with CIA 
officials in 2003 about disarmament of the PKK.  Le Monde drew 
attention to the U.S.'s newly established ties with a group that 
dissociated itself from the PKK. 
 
SABAH:  A soldier was wounded when alleged PKK terrorists 
carried out an attack with rockets and hand grenades at the 
Jandarma Command in Van's Muradiye district. 
 
SABAH / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:        An 80-person group chanting 
slogans and demonstrating in support of Abdullah Ocalan 
reportedly clashed with police in Istanbul yesterday and threw 
Molotov cocktails at the police.  During the incident, a 
19-year-old person died and two people were wounded. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     Osman Baydemir reacted to the Governor's Office 
decision that postponed a public meeting, which was supposed to 
be held in Diyarbakir on October 3rd.  The meeting was titled 
"Democratic Solution to the Kurdish Problem, Yes to the EU." 
According to Baydemir, it was neither the end of the world that 
the meeting was postponed, nor would it turn into doomsday 
should the meeting be held. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   During the cocktail party of the 4th Middle 
East Industrial Fair, a speech made by the Diyarbakir Governor 
Efkan Ala in Turkish was translated into Kurdish.  Iraq's 
Planning and Development Minister Bahram Salih attended the 
cocktail as well. 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:      Members of a "Platform for 
Non-Governmental Organizations" issued a call for solidarity in 
Siirt, Mardin and Diyarbakir under its "Hand-in hand for Turkey" 
project launched to create a civil common cause against the 
recent developments that attack the solidarity of Turkey. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Three of the seven people detained on charges 
of killing a police officer and wounding another officer in an 
attack on a police car in Sanliurfa (see press summary 09/19) 
have been arrested. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Founding members of DTH will convene on 
October 4 in Ankara to decide whether the movement will shake 
hands with Celal Dogan, former Gaziantep mayor, in the path to 
form a new party.  Reportedly, Celal Dogan did not welcome the 
idea of describing the new party as an "alliance" or "merging of 
powers."  Dogan is reportedly dismissing the idea of a party 
establishing its roots in ethnic nationalism. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Mecer Kule, the U.S. Consul in Mosul, and an 
accompanying delegation paid a "surprise" visit to the Maxmur 
camp of Kurdish refugees from Turkey.  The U.S. officials 
reportedly told the members of the camp that Turkey wanted the 
refugees to return to Turkey.  The members of the camp 
reportedly said that, for Kurds to return to Turkey, it was 
essential that the U.S. contribute to the democratic and 
peaceful resolution of the Kurdish problem. 
 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
1.      ZAMAN:  Adana's 3rd Cukurova Industry and Commerce 
Fair ended. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REID