US embassy cable - 05ADANA213

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000213 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 18, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 18, 
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 / YENI SAFAK:     Cemil Cicek, Minister of Interior, drew 
attention to the role DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) played 
in the latest incidents in Semdinli and claimed that DEHAP had 
never done anything good to solve the issue.  According to Cemil 
Cicek, those people who are disturbed about the stability and 
peace in Turkey are using terrorist organizations to disrupt 
peaceful conditions. 
 
RADIKAL / ZAMAN / YENI SAFAK:   Cicek wanted people to be 
confident that the bombing incident in Semdinli will not be 
covered up and will be investigated. 
 
RADIKAL:        A Parliamentary Commission Delegation will be 
visiting Semdinli on November 22.  The delegation cancelled a 
planned trip to Semdinli a day earlier due to the cancellation 
of flights due to adverse weather conditions. 
 
RADIKAL:        PM Erdogan is expected to visit Semdinli, Yuksekova 
and Hakkari following the visits to these districts of the 
Minister of Interior and Minister of Justice (on an unspecified 
date). 
 
YENI SAFAK / CUMHURIYET:        Tension in Semdinli is subsiding, 
according to the Yeni Safak daily.  Hakkari Mayor Metin Takce 
dismissed allegations that tension was stirred up among the 
people of Semdinli by certain people during the incidents. 
Tekce denied the Hakkari Governor's claims that people were 
readily following the district mayor's instructions.  Tekce 
branded such claims as attempts to make mayors vulnerable as 
targets of hostile intentions.  Tekce drew attention to the fact 
that people in Yuksekova and Hakkari never used firearms against 
the security forces.  Tekce demanded that the soldiers and 
police opening fire on people should be prosecuted. 
 
ZAMAN:  Kursat Gulsen, an attorney from Ankara Bar 
Association, will defend the two junior officers, who are 
accused of being involved in the latest November 9 Semdinli 
incident.  Because of the controversy over whether Jandarma 
Command was involved in the selection of the previously 
announced attorney or not, the defendants changed their attorney 
to Gulsen. 
 
ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM:   A mine planted on a railroad 25 
kilometers away from Van went off and caused one of the cars of 
a train to derail.  No casualties were reported. 
 
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / ZAMAN / YENI 
SAFAK:  Funerals of two of the three demonstrators, who died 
during the public unrest that broke out in Yuksekova on 
Wednesday, was held in Yuksekova without incident.  Yet, a 
barely controlled tension marked the mood of the people during 
the funerals, according to Radikal daily.  The people walking 
towards the cemetery and carrying the coffins told the 
journalists to report the true numbers of people who attended 
the funeral and claimed that over 100,000 people were there. 
Yet, Zaman daily reporter said that this number was exaggerated. 
 Radikal daily reported that the population of Yuksekova was 
nearly 100,000, and over 50,000 people reportedly attended the 
funerals.  During the funerals, "so-called confederation flags" 
were flown and people chanted slogans in support for the 
terrorist organization PKK and its jailed leader Abdullah 
Ocalan.  People demanded that the Hakkari Governor resign. 
During his address to the crowd, Selim Sadak, former DEP deputy, 
called on PM Erdogan and all the other circles sensitive to this 
issue, to come to Semdinli. 
 
SABAH / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL / ZAMAN / 
YENI SAFAK / BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY):   Two F-16 
airplanes reportedly flew low four times over the people walking 
towards the funeral place.  Reportedly, one of the local people 
said, "We are not terrorists. I have five sons. Two of them are 
in the mountains (enrolled in the ranks of the PKK) and two of 
them are doing their military service. We do not want to see 
brothers killing each other."   Meanwhile, a funeral of a 
soldier, who was killed by a mine blast in Van's Baskale 
district, was held in Adana's Kozan district.  The soldier's 
mother sang Kurdish mourning songs during the funeral.  Adana 
Deputy Governor and the Security Director attended the ceremony 
as well. 
 
YENI SAFAK:     According to the daily, Huseyin Celik, Minister of 
Interior, is among those people Yucel Askin, the rector of Van's 
Centennial University (VCU), illegally collected information 
against during the period Celik was working as a faculty member 
at VCU (see press summary 11/17). 
 
RADIKAL:        When reporters asked Celik questions on the case of 
Yucel Askin, Celik said, "I would not want to make further 
comments now that could hurt a person who is in hospital and is 
in misery."  (Note: Another meaning of the word used in Turkish 
for 'a person in misery' implies 'a fallen person' who lost 
grace and experienced defeat. End Note.) 
 
RADIKAL / ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES:      Tacidar Seyhan, CHP deputy 
from Adana, brought the issue of a teacher, who allegedly 
delivered a test "having the logo of the AKP (Justice and 
Development Party) on it" to the primary school students in 
Adana, to the agenda of the Turkish Parliament.  Seyhan demanded 
an investigation be brought against the teacher who allegedly 
tried to inflict the image of a political party on the minds of 
small children.  Zaman daily claimed that the teacher only used 
the drawing of an electric lamp to teach the students the 
concept of "light." 
 
RADIKAL:        According to allegations that lately surfaced in the 
Kilis province, the Kilis Jandarma Commander and the Kilis 
Governor have allegedly protected and covered to date the 
criminals who killed Ekrem Cetin, Kilis mayor, and his son, the 
CHP provincial chairperson in June.  A relative of Ekrem Cetin 
drew attention to similarities between aspects of this incident 
and the Semdinli incident. 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
ZAMAN:  Seyhmus Akbas, National Chairperson of the GUNSIAD 
(Federation of Southeastern Industrialists and Businessmen 
Associations) said that people behind the incidents in Semdinli 
and Hakkari did not want peace and stability to be permanently 
established in the region.  Akbas conveyed the frustrations and 
worries of the region's businessmen over the latest 
developments. 
 
2.      SABAH (GUNEY) / EKSPRES / ZAMAN:        An Adana business 
delegation returned from their business trip to Syria.  Adana 
Governor Cahit Kirac, Adapazari Chamber of Commerce, and 
businessmen from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 
participated in this trip, as well. 
REID