Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for December 27, 2004

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000175

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 27, 2004

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December 27,
2004. 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 / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / SABAH: A group with
1000 members, comprising of Turkish soldiers and NGOs,
commemorated the 90th anniversary of a tragic event of 1914 when
90,000 Turkish soldiers died due to freezing weather conditions,
as they were fighting the Battle of Sarikamis against Russia at
Sarikamis, Kars. The group Allahuekber Mountains to visit the
scene of the battle.

CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: 2000 people demonstrated against
the killing of Ugur Kaymaz in Kiziltepe, Mardin and people
carried slippers in their hands in symbolic of the slippers that
Ugur Kaymaz and Ahmet Kaymaz were wearing when they were killed.
The protesters demanded that Abdulkadir Aksu, Minister of
Internal Affairs, resign from his office.

OZGUR GUNDEM: 'The Turkish troops that were tied to Bolu
Commando Brigade -known as Brigade of Horror among people-
(allegedly) carried out a massacre and extra judicial killings
that killed 7 civilians in Yolcati township of Lice, Diyarbakir
in May 15, 1994' said Suleyman Yildirim, a witness of the
alleged massacre, in a statement given to Lice Prosecutor.
Yildirim survived because he was separated from those killed,
because the soldiers (allegedly) ordered the killing of people
less than 65 years of age. In February 17, 2004, the European
Court of Human Rights penalized Turkey to pay 71,530 euros to
compensate for the material and immaterial losses of the
victims.
MILLIYET: Kabatas High School and Kabatas Education Foundation
has renovated a village school in Omerli, Mardin, which was
demolished by PKK. The foundation has also donated educational
tools to the school and provided for the material and goods that
the students are in need of personally. Contemporary school
standards have now been attained by the efforts undertaken.

YENI SAFAK: The existence of a high-voltage transmission line on
two electric towers in a primary school named Sanliurfa Kanuni
Sultan Suleyman Primary School at Sanliurfa poses great threat
to the lives of 5300 students being educated there.

OZGUR GUNDEM: On the birthday of Jesus, December 25,
Suryanis held a meeting called 'Dialogue and Tolerance Between
Religons' in Diyarbakir. Christians and Muslims together
delivered messages on peace at the meetings. During the
religious ceremonies, people prayed for accession of Turkey to
the EU.

OZGUR GUNDEM: 7 people set up a 'Peace Tent' on September 1
World Peace Day in Semdinli, Hakkari. Three months later,
Semdinli Prosecutor decided to conduct an investigation against
the 'Peace Tent' activists because of the speeches and slogans
uttered during the event.

EVRENSEL: Due to insufficient electricity infrastructure,
people in Diyarbakir are seriously suffering from power failure
and and low voltage problems. Tarik Ozden, Chairperson of
Diyarbakir Branch of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers, says,
because TEDAS (Turkish Electricity Joint Stock Company) is
neglecting the renewal of electricity infrastructure and scarce
budget is allocated for the projects, and since people are using
electricity for heating their houses, Diyarbakir is experiencing
such electricity problems.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

1. OZGUR GUNDEM: According to the report of the Turkish
Agriculturalists Association, despite the fact that East
Anatolia has been a center for cattle breeding because of the
favorable ecological conditions of the region, implementation of
wrong state policies has seriously hampered the development of
cattle breeding since 1980.

2. TURKIYE: Hilmi Guler, Minister of Energy and Natural
Resources, said that six billion dollars have been spent for the
dams in the scope of GAP project until today. GAP project
comprises of Firat and Dicle basins. On Firat basin, a total of
fourteen dams, eleven of which are hydroelectric power plants,
will generate 2098 GWh energy annually. A total of eight
hydroelectric power plants on Dicle basin however will generate
7247 GWh energy annually.

3. BOLGE: According to the joint press announcement of
Nejat Kocer, Executive Board President of the Gaziantep Chamber
of Industry, and Mehmet Aslan, Executive Board President of the
Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce, their visit with President
Erdogan to Syria and interviews made with Syrian government will
bring beneficial outcomes for the economy of Gaziantep and the
decisions made there will render Gaziantep a center for trade.

4. BOLGE / VAKIT: Because of the high amount of harvests,
the prices of vegetables and fruits have decreased on the
markets in Adana.

5. YENI SAFAK: A 400 kV power plant that costs ten trillion
TL (7,2 million US dollars) is installed to provide for the
energy needs of the region between Batman, Mardin and Kiziltepe.

REID

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