GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON APR 09

HURRIYET

-- THERE WILL NOT BE ULTRANATIONALIST-PRO-KURDISH QUARREL

Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, referring to the incidents that occurred at Antalya's Akdeniz University, said "nobody can say that an ultranationalist-pro-Kurdish quarrel started in Turkey." "I am condemning the villainous plots that aim to show MHP supporters as a side in any quarrel," Bahceli said.

-- THEY LEFT MERVE ALONE IN A ROOM

Turkey's record breaking swimmer 22-year-old Merve Terzioglu was hospitalized in Cleveland, Ohio after being injured in a car accident in the United States. After having a renal angiography to test her kidney function, Merve's condition suddenly worsened and she later died. Close friend, Gurkan Eroksuz, said Merve did not receive the necessary treatment when her condition worsened and she was left alone in a room after the angiography. Her father also cited negligence as the cause of Merve's death. Regional Medical Center At Memphis administration said they were "sorry."


MILLIYET

-- EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT CALLS FOR COMMON SENSE IN TURKEY

A senior European Union official urged all parties in Turkey to act with common sense, saying "both the majority's view and secular democracy should be respected." European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that the closure case filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is an unusual development for European democracies, and expressed hope that the Constitutional Court would give a ruling which would "comply with supremacy of law and democracy." Barroso and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn are expected to arrive in the Turkish capital, Ankara on Thursday.

-- TURKISH POLICE SEIZE EXPLOSIVES AND AMMUNITION

Istanbul police seized a cache of grenades and ammunitions in a baggage room office in an inter-city bus station in the Bayrampasa district. Police found a box containing five hand grenades, with their serial numbers removed, as well as two 30-round AK-47 magazines and three detonation devices.


SABAH

-- WE HAVE BEEN SURPRISED BY CLOSURE CASE FILED AGAINST THE AKP, BARROSO

The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said that they have been surprised at the closure case filed against Turkey's ruling AKP. "The process against the AKP is not normal and it is strange," Barroso told. We are concerned over the case against the AKP, Barroso noted.

-- ISTANBUL CENTER IN BRUSSELS

A center devoted to Istanbul has been opened in the European Union's heart, Brussels on Tuesday. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn attended the inauguration of the Istanbul Center. The center will promote Istanbul and Turkey in the EU. The new center will be managed by an independent council comprised of Turks and Europeans. Istanbul was selected as the cultural capital of Europe in 2010.

-- NO ROOMS LEFT FOR TURKS ON THE SOUTHERN COAST

Early reservations from Russia, Ukraine and Europe pleased Turkish hoteliers. Many hotels in Turkey have reserved half their rooms for Russian tourists. Turkish tourism experts predict that there would be no rooms left for Turkish tourists in the southern coast during July and August.

VATAN

-- ANOTHER UNCLAIMED BOMB

Mysterious bombs are appearing one after the other. Five hand grenades and 75 rounds were discovered in Istanbul. The serial numbers on the grenades had been removed were erased. The hand bombs were found in a bag, sent from eastern province of Malatya, at in inter-city bus terminal in Istanbul.

-- GULDAL MUMCU BRAKE TO 301

The pending amendment proposal put forward by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has caused a stir. Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Guldal Mumcu, who served as the acting parliamentary speaker while Koksal Toptan was on a visit to China, refused to sign the proposal. This meant that the proposal could not be sent to the parliamentary committees.


CUMHURIYET

-- ERDOGAN : POLITICS SHOULD FIND A SOLUTION

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said closing the ruling AKP would have grave economic and political consequences, adding that politics should find a solution to the problem. "When interests of the nation and the country are in question, we hope that we would find a common ground with other political parties to reach a consensus," Erdogan said.

-- EUROPEAN OFFICIALS WARN ON RULING PARTY CLOSURE CASE

Ahead of their Turkey visit, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn warned about the closure case filed against the ruling AKP. "The latest developments showed that it would not be possible for the EU to set a date for Turkey's full membership," Barrosso told reporters. "The closure case will once again test Turkey's commitment to the EU as an anchor for political stability in the country," Rehn said.


RADIKAL

-- MAY 1 IN TAKSIM

For three decades authorities had refused to grant permission to hold May 1 rallies in the Taksim district of Istanbul. The Turkish Confederation of Labor Unions (Turk-Is), Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions of Turkey (DISK) and the Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK) have taken the decision to hold a rally in Taksim on May 1, 2008.

-- HUNGER LINE: 953 YTL

A research by a Turkish NGO revealed that the hunger line in Turkey is 953 new Turkish liras (YTL). The overty line according to the same research is 1,253 YTL. The poverty line for a family of four is 2,503 YTL.

YENI SAFAK

-- CLOSING THE AKP WOULD BE A DISASTER

The closure case against the ruling AKP was the hot issue of a Brussels meeting hosted by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality to promote Turkey's EU membership. "A negative outcome would paralyze democracy," said Hannes Swoboda, deputy head of the Socialist group at the European Parliament (EP). "There is no place for such a case in democracies. Closing a ruling party is an unprecedented situation," EP member Jan M. Wiersman said.

-- FENERBAHCE BIDS FAREWELL TO EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Turkey's Fenerbahce lost 2-0 to England's Chelsea in the second leg of quarter finals in the Champions League. Fenerbahce won the first game in Istanbul 2-1 against the English team. Chelsea will take on England's Liverpool in the semi-finals.