Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for June 28, 2006

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TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 28, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 28, 2006.
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

HURRIYET / RADIKAL / SABAH: Ankara Security Directorate (ASD),
after examining the statements made, slogans chanted, banners
and posters waved at Sunday's DTP congress, finalized its probe
into the congress and filed a complaint with the Ankara Chief
Prosecutor on grounds that people made propaganda of PKK during
the congress. Prosecutor's Office solicited the text of the
speeches of National Chairperson Ahmet Turk and former
co-chairperson Aysel Tugluk made at the congress and the footage
taken by ASD upon receiving the complaint. If Prosecutor's
Office finds out that Political Parties Act has been breached
during the congress, it will file an investigation against DTP
which might pave the way for a court action that demands the
closure of DTP. (This summary is from 06/27 editions.)

EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Ahmet Turk and Aysel Tugluk
provided statements at the Ankara Court Hall concerning a text
of a declaration made by the DTP Women's Assembly on March 8.

HURRIYET: One of the defendants of the Semdinli case,
non-commissioned officer Ali Kaya, who has been at an Ankara
based military hospital because of a pulmonary disease during
the last two hearings of the case, has been discharged from the
hospital and has been sent to Van's Military Jail.

HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: Ambassador Hans Jorg Kretschmer,
Head of the Delegation of European Commission in Turkey, came to
Van the previous day with two delegates from Brussels and paid
visits to Van Governor, Chief Prosecutor, Human Rights
Association, Mazlum-Der (Solidarity Association for Oppressed
People), VAKAD (Van Women's Association), VANGIAD (Van Young
Businessmen Association), Van Chapter of Goc-Der (Solidarity and
Culture Association for Displaced People), etc. (This summary is
from 06/27 edition of Hurriyet and 06/28 edition of Ozgur
Gundem.) The delegation went to Hakkari's Semdinli district
yesterday. Kretschmer will pay visits to Semdinli Mayor Hursit
Tekin and non-governmental organizations.

EVRENSEL: Kretschmer reportedly told mainstream Milliyet
newspaper that DTP could not pursue political goals without
putting distance between itself and the PKK.

CUMHURIYET / YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / ZAMAN:
Higher Board of Judges and Prosecutors overturned the petition
of former Van Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya which requested
reevaluation of the court decision that expelled him from his
profession.

ZAMAN: Diyarbakir Prosecutor's Office finalized the
indictment it had been preparing against Diyarbakir Mayor Osman
Baydemir for Baydemir's statements made in support for
terrorists following the violent Diyarbakir demonstrations in
late March. Baydemir reportedly said in response to the
indictment that if attaining democracy, social peace and
stability required the sacrifice of Osman Baydemir, please let
it happen.

YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL / ZAMAN: The dailies reported remarks
of U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson in Izmir. Wilson reportedly said
that the U.S. has not been able to do everything it can with
regard to Turkey's fight against the PKK.

OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reports that military operations
have been continuing in Tunceli, Hakkari, Mardin, Diyarbakir,
Agri, Elazig and Bingol provinces. According to the daily, 30
soldiers and 8 PKK members have allegedly died in clashes over
the last week. The daily further reported that Turkish military
forces have launched a military operation in Elazig's Palu
district the previous day and a village guard reportedly died in
a clash there. Military forces reportedly have deployed
soldiers in an area situated in the triangle of Diyarbakir's
Hani, Lice and Genc districts.

CUMHURIYET / YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / RADIKAL:
According to the report of the Diyarbakir Bar Association's
Women's Rights Center, 50 murders have been committed in
Diyarbakir in the name of honor killing in the last six years.

CUMHURIYET: Diyarbakir Chamber of Commodity Exchange criticized
AKP government for not including Diyarbakir in the list of
provinces where a project will be implemented to create centers
in the east of Ankara which would attract people in order to
prevent migration to western cities.

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OZGUR GUNDEM: A seminar called "Sharing of Experiences
among Street Childen" will be held through joint efforts of GAP
Regional Development Authority and UN Development Program in
Batman.

HURRIYET: Five children have been wounded because of an
explosive, which they found in a village of Agri's Dogubeyazit
district.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Saban Ayhan, who applied to Loss and Damage
Assessment Commission of Hakkari Governor's Office for wounds he
incurred during a 1991 bomb incident in Hakkari's Yuksekova
district, was denied any compensation because of a Jandarma
report claiming that the explosive used at the bombing belonged
to the local clans.

SABAH (GUNEY): Farmers in the Cukurova region have been
objecting to the decision of Ministry of Agriculture which bans
pesticide spraying through planes.
REID

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