Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for July 13, 2006

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TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JULY 13, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for July 13, 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

BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY) / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / ZAMAN:
The Ceyhan end of the Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline, dubbed as
the "Silkroad of the 21st Century", will be opened today.
Turkish President and Prime Minister, Georgian President,
Azarbaijani President, Minister of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus Prime Minister, UK's Deputy Prime Minister,
U.S.'s Deputy Energy Minister and Assistants to Secretary of
State, and ministers and deputy ministers from 49 countries will
be attending the ceremony. Petroleum traveling through the
pipeline arrived for the first time on May 28 to the Ceyhan end.
The vessels started transporting the petroleum at the onset of
June.

HURRIYET ONLINE: Anthrax detected in animals in Hakkari's
Yuksekova district has caused panic among local people.
Quarantine has been imposed in four villages and one hamlet.
The disease reportedly killed eighty cattle and 30 sheep.

OZGUR GUNDEM: A person in Antakya has been hospitalized in
Hatay because of suspected Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Matt Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for European and Eurasian Affairs, who came to Turkey to
attend BTC opening ceremony, told journalists at the U.S.
Embassy that Turkey should cooperate with the Baghdad government
and southern Kurdistan officials to eliminate the arms support
extended from southern Kurdistan to the PKK. Bryza, while
pointing out the difficulty of conducting operations in Iraq's
3000-meter Qandil Mountain where PKK headquarters are located,
admitted that despite the many steps taken to counter PKK
terrorism, there was yet more to do to address the issue.

OZGUR GUNDEM: UNICEF reportedly made a call to the Turkish
government to provide mother tongue education for Kurdish
children. A UNICEF official said that multi-language education
systems increase the standards of education.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Inspectors of Ministry of Interior took
statement of Emrullah Cin, Mayor of Sanliurfa's Viransehir
district, because of a Kurdish-language bulletin created in
order to promote the services of the municipality.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Disciplinary committee of the Education
Faculty of Ataturk University in Agri dismissed 14 students from
the university because of the alleged occupation by the students
on March 28 of the office of the dean to protest the ongoing
investigations then. The daily claims the students went to the
office to talk with the university officials. Dozens of other
students have been temporarily suspended from school.

OZGUR GUNDEM: KESK (Confederation of Public Sector Workers'
Unions) Platform in Diyarbakir and several non-governmental
organizations sent fax letters to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
and made a call to veto the new Anti-Terror Law.

EVRENSEL: DTP Provincial Chairperson in Mersin, who was
arrested during the protests held in Mersin following the
violent demonstrations in Diyarbakir at the end of March, has
been released by the Adana 6th Heavy Penalty Court. The case is
still pending trial (see press summary 07/11).

EVRENSEL: A new initiative called Free Kurds' Group is going
to found a new party in September. The initiative is being led
by Serafettin Elci, a former state minister.

ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Walter Scott
Reid, U.S. Consul in Adana, who will soon be departing Adana for
his next career appointment, paid a farewell visit to Adana
Chamber of Commerce, reported the dailies.

RADIKAL / HURRIYET: PM Erdogan paid a visit to Malatya,
attended TOKI mass housing administration's ceremony, and
delivered a speech at the AKP provincial convention.

BOLGE: A park marking Turco-Azarbaijani friendship will be
opened today in Adana's Ceyhan district by President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer and Azarbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

BOLGE: MHP Adana Provincial Chairperson severely criticized
Yakapinar Municipality in Adana's Yuregir district which named
parks it built after the Kurdish name of the Diyarbakir province
and a Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya.

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HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Diyarbakir Jandarma Command teams found
44 pistols in a car during an operation conducted to counter
illegal arms trading. Four people were detained during the
operation.

EVRENSEL: First notary attested Kurdish translation bureau
started its business in Istanbul.

NTVMSNBC ONLINE: A U.S. company has been building a security
hub in a truck parking area between Sirnak's Silopi district and
the Habur Gate in order to provide security for the Turkish
trucks traveling to Iraq. The company has been dismissing the
allegations that the U.S. has been building a U.S. base in the
region.

NTVMSNBC ONLINE / EVRENSEL: A Sweden based mine cleaning
company representative came to Sanliurfa and held talks with
Sanliurfa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The company is
reportedly interested in the mine clearing tender in the region.

RADIKAL: A 30-year-old woman, who allegedly eloped with a
married man, was stabbed in the throat by her brother in
Kahramanmaras yesterday. The woman has been hospitalized.

OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Cleaning services workers in
Adana, who were dismissed from their jobs, have been continuing
their strike for 66 days. The workers marched towards the
Seyhan Municipality yesterday and demanded resignation of the
Mayor.
REID

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