Controversial Mayor Under Investigation

Serpil Kapan press spokesperson for Greater Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir said they would not comment on media reports regarding prospective legal action by Diyarbakir Governor's office against Baydemir and four other district mayors.

According to media reports here Diyarbakir Governor's Office on Monday, applied for legal action against Baydemir, who paid a visit of condolence to the family of Kurdish rebel M.Sait Ozgun, who was killed during clashes with Turkish troops in the "Hevsel Gardens Operation."

The operation involved a large forest and garden area alongside the Tigris River nearby southeastern city of Diyarbakır, mostly populated by Kurds. During the clashes between the security forces and Kurdish rebels throughout the week one Turkish security guard and two Kurdish rebels were killed. Mayor Baydemir had to face an extensive official and media criticism when he paid condolence to the family of one of the killed rebels.

The governor's office also demanded legal action against Firat Anli, the mayor of Baglar district, Yurdusev Ozsokmenler, the mayor of Yenisehir, Abdullah Demirbas, the mayor of Sur, and, Zulkuf Karatekin the mayor of Kayapinar.

The content of the complaint yet unclear

"This behavior of the mayors has hurt the public conscience," said Diyarbakir's Deputy Governor Abdulkadir Yazici, talking about their visit tothe Kurdish rebel's family. Yazici was contacted for the content of the complaint, but could not be reached.

Baydemir's press spokeswoman Serpil Kapan said they had only heard about the complaint through the media. She said Mayor Baydemir had made a statement about his visit to the Kurdish rebel's family.

"The mayor has made his only statement yesterday. He is not planning to make another statement unless there is an unexpected or extraordinary development," she added.

>Kapan said she found out through the media that the governor's office accused Baydemir with "paying a condolence visit in his official car." She added that she had heard through the media that the governor's office asked for an expert from the Interior Ministry. "We don't know why they asked for an expert," she said. "We don't know if they asked for an expert to express opinion on whether or not the mayor should be removed from his post."(YS/BB/EA/EK)