Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for October 20, 2006

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 20, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 20,
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

ZAMAN: DTP, which the paper portrays as attempting to
legalize the PKK, will announce today in Ankara the results of
the campaign it has been running to gather signatures from PKK
sympathizers in support of the statement: "I,as a member of
Kurdistan, accept Abdullah Ocalan as my political will."

3. OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP will make public today the results
of the campaign that recognizes Ocalan as people's political
will. The campaign started in July 14, 2005 and it ended on
March 21, 2006.

4. ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET: CHP leader Deniz
Baykal criticized the remarks Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir
made at the European Parliament, without mentioning Baydemir's
name. For the first time in the history a mayor said in Europe
that petroleum and hydro-energy resources in Batman should be
administered by the local administrations of Batman, according
to Baykal. Baykal said that the terrorists in the mountains and
the politicians in the city are working for the success of the
same project.

5. OZGUR GUNDEM / YENI SAFAK: DTP sent a statement to more
than 3000 civil society organizations in Turkey making a call
for people to unite their forces and draw a roadmap in order to
work out a way to achieve permanent peace during the cease-fire
process. Meanwhile, Tuncer Bakirhan, DTP Deputy Chairperson,
who held contacts in many EU countries, said that the EU should
take the initiative to define a clear policy in resolving the
Kurdish issue.

6. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: The people living in
Sirnak's Uludere district are complaining about the increased
military checkpoints on the road between Uludere and Sirnak's
Beytussebap districts and a telephone outage affecting eight
villages which is allegedly caused by soldiers. DTP Uludere
district chairperson cautioned the authorities that migration
from the area might start.

CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT

7. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Thirty-four aliens, who entered
the country illegally, have been caught in Gaziantep. They are
Afghan and Iraqi nationals, told the police.

8. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Van police searching a house in a
village of Van found 350 kilograms of hashish hidden under
manure piles.

CULTURE / SOCIETY

9. RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: A collective agreement covering 98
municipality workers was signed between a union and Diyarbakir's
Kayapinar Municipality. The agreement stipulated also that the
workers should learn Kurdish to better communicate with the
people they would bring services to.

10. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Sixth peanut festival will be held
in Osmaniye between 26 and 27 October.

11. OZGUR GUNDEM: A 3.7-magnitude earthquake shook Van. No
casualties were reported.

12. YENI SAFAK: A 16-year-old girl in Adana smothered her
sister with a cloth as they were quarreling on why the girl's
sister was going out with a lot of men.

GREEN

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