GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON APR 1

HURRIYET
-- ‘NOTHING WILL BE SAME AS IT USED TO BE’
Deniz Baykal, chairman of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, assessed Sunday's local elections: "Politics will be different from now on. Nothing will be same as it used to be, and we will fulfill our political responsibilities in this period." Baykal said what the government should do was admit that it might step down as the ruling party. Asked about the possible election of Kemal Kilicdaroglu as CHP chairman, who was the CHP's candidate mayor for Istanbul and won around 38 percent of votes, Baykal said: "Why not? Our party members will make a decision about this matter if they think it is appropriate. However, we do not have a leadership problem on our agenda now."
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-- APPOINTMENT TO OPPOSITION FROM OBAMA
U.S. President Barack Obama was originally planning to have a quartet meeting with Deniz Baykal, chairman of CHP, Devlet Bahceli, chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP; and Ahmet Turk, chairman of the Democratic Society Party, or DTP. But Obama decided to meet the leaders separately. Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said Obama would meet with those three party leaders at his office in Parliament. Obama will also have a 15-minute meeting with Toptan and will address lawmakers for 45 minutes.
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MILLIYET
-- YAZICIOGLU LAID TO REST IN DERVISH CONVENT
Muhsin Yazicioglu, leader of the Great Union Party, or BBP, who died in helicopter crash, was laid to rest after funerals that tens of thousands of people attended. The first funeral was at Parliament. The relatives of Yazicioglu, ministers and top state officials attended the service. Yazicioglu was laid to rest in the Tacettin Dervish Convent.
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-- OBAMA SURPRISE TO OPPOSITION
U.S. President Barack Obama’s request to meet the leaders of the parties represented in Parliament led to a crisis. The Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, said it would accept the offer in case it was a tete-a-tete meeting. Republican People's Party, or CHP, leader Deniz Baykal said it would be better if the meetings take place one by one. The Democratic Society Party, or DTP, accepted the offer. Obama who will address the Turkish Parliament on April 6,
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SABAH
-- CABINET CHANGES DISCUSSED
The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, could not get a satisfactory result from the local elections, which took place on March 29, and this development became the main agenda item of the Council of Ministers meeting. Cabinet members told Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in the meeting that he could discharge ministers from their posts. After the municipal elections, Erdogan said that there could be changes in the Cabinet.
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-- THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE BID FAREWELL TO YAZICIOGLU
Thousands of people bade farewell to Muhsin Yazicioglu, leader of the Great Union Party, or BBP, who died in a helicopter crash last week. A number of members of his political party converged in Ankara from different parts of Turkey to attend the funeral. Some of them chanted slogans and carried photos of their leader. A state funeral took place in Parliament in Ankara for Yazicioglu, and another funeral was held at Ankara's Kocatepe Mosque.

VATAN
-- NO CHANGE IN RULES
It has been proven one more time that the decline in the growth rate negatively affected the ruling party’s votes. Turkey's growth rate decreased 6.2 percent during the last three months of 2008. In the meantime, the Justice and Development Party, AKP’s, votes dropped 8 percent.
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-- OBAMA MOTIVATION TO OPPOSITION PARTIES
U.S. President Barack Obama, who is expected to arrive in Turkey on Sunday, will be the first president to hold a meeting with Turkish opposition leaders. Obama will pay a visit to Anitkabir, Ataturk's Mausoleum, in the morning on April 6, and he will later deliver a speech at the Turkish Parliament. Officials said Obama wanted to hold talks with the leaders of opposition parties, acting contrary to protocol rules. But Obama would hold a single meeting to be attended by all leaders as his time is limited. Chairman of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, Deniz Baykal and chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, Devlet Bahceli rejected the invitation, so U.S. officials are currently seeking a way to bring Obama together with the Turkish politicians in separate meetings.
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CUMHURIYET
-- ECONOMY SHRINKS
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan earlier said that the economic crisis had touched Turkey only tangentially, but it did not happen that way. The Turkish economy shrank for the first time in seven years. The economy has been growing constantly for 27 quarters, but it started to shrink in the fourth quarter of 2008. Turkey's economy grew 1.1 percent in 2008, Turkish Board of Statistics said.
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-- STATE FUNERAL FOR YAZICIOGLU
Muhsin Yazicioglu, leader of the Great Union Party, or BBP, who died in a helicopter accident last week, was laid to rest in Ankara. Besides Yazicioglu's wife, daughter, son, mother and other relatives, President Abdullah Gul; Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan; Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan; Constitutional Court President Hasim Kilic; General Staff Chief Gen. Ilker Basbug; Republican People's Party, or CHP, leader Deniz Baykal; Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, leader Devlet Bahceli; members of the Cabinet; governors and high-level officials attended funerals at Parliament and Kocatepe Mosque.
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RADIKAL
-- SHRINKAGE AFTER 7 YEARS
According to the figures of Turkish Board of Statistics, or TUIK, Turkey's gross domestic product in current prices shrunk 6.2 percent in the last three months of 2008. On the basis of the "quarter year," the economy shrank 9.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2001. This shrinkage rate is above the predictions of market authorities. Annual growth in 2008 remained at 1.1 percent.
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-- SPECIAL INTEREST IN ANKARA FOR US
U.S. President Barack Obama, who is cool over the Alliance of Civilizations, is coming to Turkey to meet the Turkish president and address parliamentarians, not for the alliance meeting. Obama included Ankara on his agenda because of many important problems, including NATO, Iraq and the Armenia issue.

YENI SAFAK
-- GRAND FAREWELL
Muhsin Yazicioglu, chairperson of Great Union Party, or BBP, was buried in Ankara with a ceremony attended by hundreds of thousands of people. Protocol members and supporters of the BBP did not leave the Yazicioglu family during the ceremonies held at the Turkish Parliament, Kocatepe Mosque and party headquarters. A group of people from the Turkic republics also attended the funeral at Parliament.
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-- TURKISH POLICE TO PROTECT OBAMA
U.S. President Barack Obama will be guarded at the "highest level" during his stay in Ankara. Nearly 4,000 police officers would be on duty during Obama's visit to the Turkish capital. Two decoy cars, a political decoy and jammers that distort frequencies are some of the measures that will be taken immediately after Obama's aircraft, Air Force One, lands at Ankara's Esenboga Airport.