GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAY 18

HURRIYET       Â

-- ATTACK ON TURKISH EMBASSY
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The Turkish embassy in Baghdad was attacked with machine guns yesterday morning. Ergun Kilicarslan, an embassy security officer, was wounded in the attack. Turkey's special envoy to Iraq Murat Ozcelik was in Baghdad during the attack. Ozcelik's presence in the city raised the question: "Was the attack waged by the circles who feel uneasy with Turkey's closer relations with the regional administration in the north of Iraq?"
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-- CANNES' STAR: HATICE ASLAN
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Hatice Aslan, leading actress of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's movie, "The Three Monkeys" competing at the Cannes Film Festival, attracts the attention of the media. According to the media, Aslan is a strong candidate for the "best actress" award with her extraordinary acting talent.
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MILLIYET
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-- IS TURKEY READY FOR A SMOKING BAN?

According to a survey conducted by A&G Research for Milliyet, Turkish citizens are not yet ready for the smoking ban. As 87 percent of the people think that the ban is positive, 2 out of 10 heavy smokers say they would quit smoking. A total of 36.4 percent of respondents said it would be very hard to implement a smoking ban in Turkey.
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-- SIX TERRORISTS KILLED
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Six PKK terrorists were killed in a clash that erupted between security forces and a group of terrorists who abducted a villager in eastern province of Van. Three terrorists were injured; however, the PKK terrorists killed the villager.
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SABAH

-- ATTACK ON EMBASSY
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An armed group opened fire against the special team protecting the Turkish embassy in Iraq. Ergun Kilicarslan, a policeman who suffered a leg injury in the attack, was brought to GATA military hospital.
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-- VERY CLOSE TO THE AWARD
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Critics praised Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Three Monkeys" at the Cannes Film Festival. Hatice Aslan, the film’s leading actress, attracted much attention at the gala.

VATAN

-- A SMOKING INSPECTOR TO EVERY BUILDING
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The smoking ban will begin tonight. According to the ban, names and telephone numbers of certain individuals chosen by the management of a building or a workplace will be written on the "No Smoking" signs to be placed at establishments. The ban will be inforced by those "inspectors."
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-- FORMER AMBASSADOR HIGHLIGHTS THREE IMPORTANT ISSUES
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Mark Parris, the U.S. ambassador in Ankara between 1997-2000, wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal. In his article, Parris addressed the Turkish jurisdiction saying it should respect the decision made by the public. Parris also wrote that U.S. President George Bush should not remain silent about the closure case filed against the Justice and Development (AK) Party. Addressing Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well, the former ambassador said Erdogan could not keep his promise and could not be everybody's prime minister.
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CUMHURIYET

-- ATTENTION: DRY SUMMER IS ON THE WAY!
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This summer will be "hard" for Turkish cities of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. The capacity rate of the dams in Istanbul, which was 48.54 percent in May 2007, dropped to 41.47 percent. The water problem of Istanbul, which will experience a much hotter summer than last year, has reached a critical level. In capital Ankara, there is a huge gap between the capacity and the level of the dams. Izmir Mayor Aziz Kocaoglu also told that the summer would be difficult for his city and called on the citizens to continue to use the water carefully.
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-- ATTACK ON TURKISH EMBASSY: POLICE OFFICER WOUNDED
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A group of unidentified people waged an attack against the security officers who are responsible for protecting the Turkish embassy in Baghdad. One of the police officer, Ergun Kilicarslan was injured in the leg during the attack. Releasing a statement after the incident, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the attack.
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RADIKAL
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-- SPECIAL UNIT IN CITIES AGAINST TERRORISM
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Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) establish a center to give training for air operations, backed by land forces, in settlement areas. The pilots and Special Forces will be trained to launch pinpoint operations against terrorists in regions where the civilians are densely populated.
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-- OZBILGIN COMMEMORATED
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Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin, who was killed during an attack on the Council of State, was commemorated on the second anniversary of his death.    Â
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-- THY STARTS FLIGHTS TO ALEPPO
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Turkish Airlines (THY) has started flights to Aleppo on Saturday. Aleppo is the second destination of THY in Syria after Damascus. An Airbus A320-200 flew the first flight from Istanbul to the Syrian city of Aleppo.

YENI SAFAK

-- ERDOGAN CRITICIZES BAYKAL'S REFUSAL TO ATTEND DINNER
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Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused  Republican People's Party chairperson, Deniz Baykal of "being intransigent." Commenting on Baykal's not attending the dinner hosted by President Abdullah Gul in honor of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Erdogan asked, "How can they be the followers of a culture of compromise?"
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-- PARRIS: USA'S VOICE IS STILL WEAK

The former U.S. ambassador in Ankara Mark Parris said that the Bush administration did not take a clear stance concerning the closure case filed against AKP. "Turkey will not be the only one that will lose," Parris said.