GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAR 21

HURRIYET
-- OUR SUPERIORS KNEW ABOUT IT, BUT THEY DID NOTHING
Two gendarmery officers Okan Simsek and Veysel Sahin are being tried in Trabzon for having negligence in journalist Hrant Dink's killing. Both officers made shocking claims in Thursday's hearing.
Simsek said, "Yalcin Hayal's relative Coskun Igci gave us a tip-off that Hrant Dink would be killed. We informed our superiors and had a meeting with the head of the intelligence department. However, our superiors did not do what they had to do."
On the other hand, Sahin said, "I reject my earlier statement. I had to say so in the past because our superiors ordered us to do so. They are not our superiors any more and so, we can talk and confess more easily."

-- DO NOT INTERVENE CHIEF PROSECUTOR
Deans of 26 of 33 faculties of law made a joint statement for the first time, and supported Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals. In their statement, deans said protecting judiciary is like protecting the state of law. "Like legislative organ, judicial organs use sovereignty authority on behalf of the nation. Chief prosecutors file lawsuits under their legal responsibilities, therefore they are not a party to the lawsuit they file. Harassments against judges and prosecutors harm the state," the statement said. Deans also said, "press organs should refrain from approaches that may both harm judiciary and take judges and prosecutors under pressure. Protecting judiciary is like protecting the state of law and this is every one's duty."

MILLIYET
-- COMMANDER KNEW ABOUT ASSASSINATION
Gendarmery Sergeant Major Okan Simsek and Sergeant Veysel Sahin --who are tried as they had negligence in Hrant Dink's murder-- gave shocking statements at court: "in July 2006 (six months before the assassination of Hrant Dink), we have conveyed to former Trabzon gendarmery regiment commander Colonel Ali Oz, Major Ali Oguz Caglar and Lieutenant Metin Yildiz that Yasin Hayal was planning assassination of Dink; but they did nothing."

-- FIRST WARN, THEN FILE LAWSUIT FORMULA
AKP wants to add the expression of "the chief prosecutor warns before filing lawsuit" to the Constitution. According to the new formula, reasons for closing a political party can be violence, terrorism and violation of party by-laws.

SABAH
--BIG MEETING FOR ISLAND'S PEACE
President Mehmet Ali Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and new Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias will meet in the residence of UN Secretary General's special envoy to Cyprus Michael Moeller at buffer zone in Lefkosa today. The two leaders will meet for the first time after Christofias was elected Greek Cypriot leader on February 24th.

--AKP: 68 WILL CHANGE, CLOSURE WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT
AKP will make an amendment which brings "punishment to executives" instead of closing a political party. According to the proposal which AKP will present to National Movement Party (MHP), chief prosecutor should warn party members before filing a closure case. It will be the party executives, not parties, which should be punished. If AKP cannot reach an agreement with MHP, a referendum will be held in May.

VATAN
-- REIGN OF BOSPHORUS PRINCES IS OVER
British The Economist wrote; no Islamic party has been as moderate and pro-Western as AKP, which catapulted into government in 2002 promising to lead Turkey into the European Union. Yet the country's secular elite is still fighting to oust the AKP government. A new and pious class of Anatolian entrepreneurs, who have thrived under AKP, is challenging the elite.

-- REFERENDUM INSISTENCE
Executives of AKP decided on the party's Constitutional proposal. Their target is to adopt the proposal at Parliament in the first week of April. AKP sent a message to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and said "if you don't support us, we will adopt the law with our own votes and resort it into referendum."

CUMHURIYET
--CRACK OF "TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN"
The United States and NATO press on Turkey to send troops to Afghanistan for battle. Turkish Armed Forces announced that it is against sending troops to Afghanistan to combat terrorism. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said they are assessing the matter,. "Turkey has to do what it has to. We will establish a balance and then decide. We will make our military decisions in coming days," Babacan said.

-- ARCELIK BECOMES A PIONEER
Turkish durable goods manufacturer "Arcelik", which has made many renovations thanks to R&D studies, produced the first "divisible" product in the world. With the "Divide & Cool" technology developed by Arcelik, built-in units like refrigerators and deep freezers can be divided into pieces and placed in separate closets or drawers in a kitchen and used that way. The cooling compressor can be assembled outside the kitchen. When designing the kitchen, one can place four products in seven different options. Also, this is the first time in the world that different units work with only one compressor.

RADIKAL
-- FORMULAS FROM AKP AGAINST CLOSURE CASE
Here is the core of the new bill on which the AKP hopes to agree with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) against closure cases. Articles 68 and 69 of the Constitution on formation of parties, participation and resignation from parties will be amended as, "political parties shall be closed only if they are involved in terrorism and violence, and they back terrorism and violence."

-- STRONG SIGNALS FOR BACKWARD STEP
Labor Minister Faruk Celik started to give stronger signals for a smoother stance on social security reform. The bill foresees that those who recently start working will retire at the age of 65. It seems that the transition into this retirement age will be delayed. One has to work for 8,000 days in order to retire (not 9,000 as earlier envisaged by the bill).

YENI SAFAK
-- ERDOGAN: WE WILL NOT ALLOW TENSION
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his party will maintain its legal fight without allowing any tension. "We will maintain our democratic fight within framework of laws and in a mature way," he told. Erdogan said, "we will be three-times more patient."

-- JAPANESE MODEL SENT TO MHP
AKP sent to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) a bill on amendment to laws regarding closure of political parties. The bill also covers the Japanese model that makes the consent of the parliament obligatory for opening closure cases.