GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON APR 16

HURRIYET

-- LIST OF EVIDENCE

Police took many objects as evidence during the Ergenekon operation against the branches of the Contemporary Education Foundation, or CEV. Ataturk posters, a speech made by Ataturk and tickets for violinist Suna Kan's concert were among the objects taken as evidence. The prosecutor's office also released eight people who were detained in the 12th wave of the Ergenekon operation. Tijen Mergen, a member of the executive board of Dogan Publications; six women administrators of the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life, or CYDD; and CYDD voluntary businessman Ferhat Senatalar were released after their interrogation at the prosecutor's office.

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-- ‘IF OUR TERM IS FOUR YEARS, GUL WILL STAY FOR FIVE’

The first message that will end the uncertainty about whether President Abdullah Gul will serve five or seven years came from Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan. "In my opinion, we will serve for four years, but there are some people arguing the opposite,” Toptan said. “If the Supreme Election Board makes a decision, we will set our schedule according to that decision. If we are to serve for four years, then the president will be in office for five years."

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-- NEW RECORD: 3.65 MILLION PEOPLE UNEMPLOYED

The country’s jobless rate was made public two days after the government revised the year-end unemployment rate from 10.4 to 13.5 percent. The unemployment rate in January was 15.5 percent, the highest unemployment rate the country has seen. The number of people without jobs rose by 1.06 million and reached 3.65 million.

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MILLIYET

-- 10,000 UNEMPLOYED EVERYDAY

About 376,000 people lost their jobs in the last year, pushing unemployment to 15.5 percent at its peak, the highest rate ever recorded. Figures from the Turkish Statistical Institution, or TURKSTAT, revealed that Turkey's biggest problem is unemployment. The year-on-year unemployment rate in December, January and February rose from 11.6 percent to 15.5 percent. Urban unemployment rose from 13 percent to 17.2 percent while rural unemployment rose from 8.4 percent to 11.8 percent. According to TUIK figures, the number of unemployed people increased by 1.59 million and reached 3.65 million.

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-- BABACAN DUE IN YEREVAN

At a time of tension in relations between Turkey and Armenia, Babacan is preparing to travel to Armenia. According to an announcement made late Wednesday night, Babacan will be attending a Black Sea Economic Cooperation meeting in Yerevan.

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SABAH

-- ‘WE NARROWLY RESCUED ECEVIT’

Recai Birgun, the former chief bodyguard of ex-prime minister Bulent Ecevit, said: "Ecevit was to be assassinated when he was going to the Cankaya presidential palace. We took him away and hid him." Birgun, a lawmaker from the Democratic Left Party, or DSP, was close to Bulent Ecevit until he died and made striking remarks about a dark period of Turkish history. "In 2001, we got a tip-off that horrified us," Birgun said. "Those who were plotting the assassination knew that Ecevit would go to the Cankaya presidential palace for a reception, but this was not an earlier set schedule. This frightened us. We took the prime minister away in front of the media. The journalists followed a vehicle that did not have the prime minister in it. We hid Ecevit for 24 hours. We could not get any information about the source." The DSP lawmaker said that the doctors kept Ecevit out of politics as if he were sick.

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-- ‘EITHER PKK GOES OR TURKEY COMES’

The Iraqi administration declared that it could give a base to Turkey in Iraq for countering the terrorist PKK organization. Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said the PKK should be eradicated. Al-Hashimi said the PKK was harming the interests of Turkey and Iraq. "We should either end the PKK, or we should allow Turkey to set up a base in the region and let it clear the mountains of the PKK."

VATAN

-- PROTEST WITH DONATIONS

As a reaction to the police raid on Professor Turkan Saylan's house and the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life, or CYDD, hundreds of citizens made donations to the CYDD. There has been an influx of visitors to the CYDD in the last two days, and its telephone lines were overloaded. Some people donated their emergency savings while others gave 10 to 20 Turkish Liras.

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-- TURKEY: UNEMPLOYMENT CHAMPION OF EUROPE

The unemployment rate in Turkey reached 15.5 percent, the highest rate in the history of the republic. The number of the unemployed reached 3.65 million. According to figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institution, the unemployment rate reached 25.7 percent when people who have no hope of finding a job are included. This means one out of every four working-age people is unemployed. The number of those employed was also down 863,000. But because the calculations are based on participation rate in the work force, the number of unemployed looks as if it rose only by 376,000. These figures make Turkey the unemployment champion in Europe; Turkey takes second in the world behind South Africa.

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CUMHURIYET

-- TURKEY UNEMPLOYMENT CHAMPION IN OECD

The crisis has made a deep impression on Turkey’s unemployment. The unemployment rate, which did not exceed 8 percent in the countries where the crisis began, reached a record level in Turkey – 15.5 percent. The number of unemployed people reached 3.65 million. When the people who have no hope of finding a job are included, the real number of unemployed rises to 6.5 million.

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-- WORKERS DETERMINED TO CELEBRATE LABOR DAY IN TAKSIM

Labor unions and trade associations including DISK, KESK, TMMOB and TTB have announced that they were determined to celebrate May 1 in Taksim. DISK Chairman Suleyman Celebi said Taksim was identified with Labor Day because of the deaths of 36 people in Taksim on May 1, 1977. "This is not a mere symbol, but it is a history for which we had to pay for with our flesh, blood and tears. Therefore, Taksim is the venue for May 1," Celebi said.

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RADIKAL

-- I AM UNEMPLOYED, YOU ARE UNEMPLOYED, HE/SHE IS UNEMPLOYED

The unemployment rate rose to 15.5 percent in January 2009 over January 2008, breaking a record. The unemployment rate among young people was up from 21.2 percent to 27.9 percent, which means that one out of three young people is unemployed.

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-- AKP LIKES IT, DTP-CHP-MHP SAY ‘NO STEPS’

The government was pleased with Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug's "people of Turkey" step. Bekir Bozdag, the deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, parliamentary group, said, "This is an approach our party adopts and voices." Deniz Baykal, the chairman of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, said, "The newest thing here is that a chief of general staff is saying that." Kamil Erdal Sipahi, a lawmaker from the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, said, "The lower or supra identity discussions will harm Turkey." The Democratic Society Party, or DTP, said, "Even if the discourse changes, this is not a new initiative."

YENI SAFAK

-- ECEVIT INTERROGATION FOR HABERAL

Mehmet Haberal, the rector of Baskent University, is being interrogated for a "plan to take ex-Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit from office" in 2002. The police asked Haberal about the plans to keep Ecevit away from politics by giving him a doctor’s report that "he could no more work." Haberal did not admit to the accusations and rejected allegations regarding ties with the Ergenekon organization.

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-- REAL SECTOR AWAITS LOW INTEREST

The Central Bank's Monetary Board will convene Thursday. Experts think that the reduction of interest rates will have a positive effect on markets during the economic crisis, which is affecting the real sector.

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-- TWO BIDS FOR LOTTERY

Two bids were submitted for Turkey's national lottery. DAF-OPAP-S.A. and the Turkcell-Tepe consortia will compete in the tender.