GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON NOV 26

HURRIYET
-- ONE FAREWELL, ONE HOPE
Fenerbahce soccer team of Turkey surrendered to Porto, the champions of Portugal, at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul and bade farewell to the Champions League. Fenerbahce left the chance to go on with the UEFA Cup to their last match. Fenerbahce are now at the bottom of their group with only two points. However, the good news came from England as Arsenal defeated Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine. If Fenerbahce defeats Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine on Dec. 10, they will change track and head along the path of the UEFA Cup.

-- BAYKAL: REAL THREAT IS IN MINDS OF THOSE WEARING TIES
Deniz Baykal, the chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), said his party's problem was not the headscarf; the real problem was inside in people's minds, not the outside. Baykal said, "The problem is not in the minds of people who were born in Horasan and came to Istanbul and wear a chador as a family tradition. The threat is in the minds and brains of people who wear ties."

-- ERDOGAN: I WISH IT (STANCE) WOULD BE MAINTAINED
After chador-clad women joined the CHP, Premier Tayyip Erdogan said that recent remarks were making him happy. "If it is a genuine remark, I am congratulating those on this change and transformation. I hope it (the stance) would be maintained and new steps would be taken. There will be some negative remarks and opposition, but Mr. Chairman (Baykal) should not yield to them."

MILLIYET
-- EUROPEAN LAWMAKERS EXPRESS UNEASINESS OVER FREEDOM OF PRESS
A number of European lawmakers headed by Hannes Swoboda, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament, conveyed to Premier Tayyip Erdogan their uneasiness over freedom of press and speech. "We want to see a press which is more free," Swoboda said, urging the government to stick to the reforms. Erdogan has called for a boycott certain media outlets in Turkey.

-- STOCK EXCHANGE UP, DOLLAR DOWN
A positive climate created by a number developments in the U.S. and British markets continued on Tuesday. In Turkey, the country's main share index, the Istanbul Stock Exchange, rose by 1.19 percent and closed at 24,424.59 points. The U.S. dollar dropped to 1.574 against the Turkish currency, lira.

SABAH
-- FENERBAHCE DEFEATED IN HALF AN HOUR
Fenerbahce soccer team of Turkey, whose aim was to defeat Porto of Portugal and carry their hope for Champions League to Kiev for the last match, gave up after the two goals Porto scored in the first 30 minutes. Kazim's efforts and his goal in the second half of the game also could not trigger the team. The only chance of Fenerbahce to play in the UEFA Cup is a win against Dynamo Kiev in an away game.

-- CHADOR NOT A POLITICAL SYMBOL
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) chairman Deniz Baykal spoke about the party members wearing chadors. Baykal said that chador was no more a political symbol, but the political symbol was still headscarf.

VATAN
-- BAYKAL INSISTS ON CHADOR
Deniz Baykal, the chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), defended his attitude towards the chador. "Chador is totally traditional, it is not a political symbol. Our cause is not with the scarf but with the mentality," Baykal said.

-- ATLASJET CRASH DUE TO PILOTAGE MISTAKE
Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim announced the report on an Atlasjet aircraft crash in the Mediterranean province of Isparta. "I can say only one thing. Incorrect use of the descending plan by pilots and the weather and land conditions caused the crash," Yildirim said. All 57 people on board the flight were killed in the crash.

CUMHURIYET
-- OECD FORESEES SLOWDOWN IN ECONOMIC GROWTH IN TURKEY
The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that Turkey's economic growth would drop below 2 percent in 2009. An OECD report said Turkey's economy had slowed down in 2008 as domestic demand shrank due to a global financial crisis and turmoil in financial markets. The report said the unemployment rate in Turkey would rise to 10.5 percent in 2009 and 10.6 percent in 2010.

-- FENERBAHCE SAYS "GOOD-BYE" TO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Fenerbahce football team lost out to Portugal's Porto team 1-2 in a Group G game in the European Champions League in Istanbul. With the defeat, the Istanbul Canaries bid farewell to the Champions League to seek their chances in the UEFA Cup in an away game with Dinamo Kiev.

RADIKAL
-- TURKEY TO GROW 1.6 PERCENT IN 2009
The OECD said that the economic growth of Turkey would drop to 3.3 percent in 2008, and to 1.6 percent in 2009. Turkey, Britain, Hungary, Iceland and Ireland are the countries which will be in worse condition in 2009. Turkey will grow 4.2 percent in 2010.

-- IT WAS PILOT'S ERROR
Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim released the report on the Atlasjet plane crash in the southern province of Isparta, which occurred on Nov. 30, 2007. Yildirim said that the plane crashed during a controlled flight which meant that it was the result of pilot error.

-- YOK POSITIVE ABOUT KURDISH
Discussions are underway about opening a Kurdish language and literature department at universities. The Higher Board of Education (YOK) said there was no need for a law to open the department, adding that a proposal from universities to open the department would be sufficient.

YENI SAFAK
-- THREE TURKISH WORKERS KIDNAPPED IN AFGHANISTAN RELEASED
Three Turkish citizens, who were kidnapped in Afghanistan on Oct. 22 have been released, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Three Turkish citizens, Hamdi Karbuzoglu, Cagdas Kaplan and Ahmet Aktepe, were freed on Monday, and they reached safely to Afghan authorities. The Turkish citizens are expected to return to Turkey on Nov. 28.

-- EX-CIA AGENT SEES "NO REGIONAL ROLE FOR TURKEY WITHOUT SOLVING KURDISH ISSUE"
Graham Fuller, a former CIA agent and vice-chairman of CIA's National Intelligence Council, suggested that Turkey could not become a regional player "without solving the Kurdish issue." "An unhappy Diyarbakir will render Turkey powerless in the region and it will also make Turkey defenseless vis-a-vis the wishes of its enemies who want to manipulate the Kurdish issue," Fuller told an interview with BBC's Turkish service. "However, a happy Diyarbakir will be a very important tool which Turkey can use in its foreign policy. If Turkey can resolve its Kurdish problem, then it will be able to be more powerful in the region," Fuller said.