GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON AUGUST 1

HURRIYET

--LET US MAKE A FRESH BEGINNING

Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave messages in his address to the nation which was recorded prior to the announcement of Constitutional Court's decision. The address was broadcast on TV channels last night.

"For a fresh beginning, let us refresh our hopes, dreams, fraternity ties and consciousness of citizenship one more time," Erdogan said during his speech.

"We have problems and difficulties, however, there is nothing we cannot overcome as long as we are one and united," Erdogan also said.

--TAKE WARNINGS SERIOUSLY

Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, who had wished that Constitutional Court would find a third way that would relieve everybody, called on Justice and Development Party (AKP) to be careful with its discourse and to be more attentive.

"The decision includes quite important points that everybody should pay attention to," Toptan said.

MILLIYET

--WORLD READ ABOUT COURT DECISION LIKE THIS

World press, which was very interested in the closure case against the ruling AKP, interpreted the decision of the Constitutional Court to cut financial assistance to the party as "the party whose secularism policies cause discussion was warned to become a central-wing party."

The U.S. Washington Post newspaper wrote that the court made a serious warning to the AKP. The Wall Street Journal commented that the case might make the AKP a more central-wing party. British, Russian and Belgian newspapers also interpreted the ruling as a warning to the AKP.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir wrote that the AKP had to change its stance, whereas British Daily Telegraph said that the court made a serious warning to AK Party to make its stance smoother. French newspaper Le Figaro said that the ruling reminded the party of the principle of secularism and wrote that it should get back to this principle.

--CHP WELCOMES CICEK'S CALL TO BAYKAL

Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the Republican People's Party (CHP) headquarters, and said that CHP executives should visit the AKP headquarters after the decision of the Constitutional Court. Onur Oymen, deputy chairman of the CHP, replied to Cicek, and said, "we have never turned back a helping hand extended to us."

SABAH

--TIME FOR REFORMS

After the closure case against the ruling AKP was concluded, everybody from the United States to the European Union (EU), from the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) to Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) called for reforms.

Here are bills needed to be adopted:

1- Expected by Europe: Military expenditures should be taken under control. Union rights should be adjusted to those in the EU. Ethical commission should be set up and ombudsman's office should be activated.

2- Expected by jurists: Provisions of the Constitution envisaging bans against political parties should be amended. Venice criteria should be adopted in party closure cases.

3- Expected by NGOs: Can Peker of Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) said that the Constitution prevented democratization, and it should be totally amended. Peker also said that Turkey should adopt a liberal Constitution.

4- Expected by all segments of society: Bills enabling quicker trial processes and independently-made verdicts should be passed as soon as possible.

--PRESIDENTIAL PALACE ALSO ASKS FOR REFORMS

President Abdullah Gul said that every one should focus on prior issues on Turkey's agenda, and listed the priorities as economic and political reforms, EU membership bid and fight against terrorism.

VATAN

--STRONGEST EVIDENCE: "LET'S ASK IT TO ULAMA"

Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan's previous remarks stating that "ulama had the authority to decide on headscarf issue" was effective on the Constitutional Court's decision saying "AKP was the focal point of anti-secular acts", taken by the votes of 10 against 1 court member.

There was a discussion on "Sharia" at the Constitutional Court on the day the decision was taken. 6 members, who defended that ruling AKP should be closed down, said the party was aiming to establish "a state based on Sharia". 4 members, who suggested that "financial assistance should be cut", said that "some acts of AKP did not confirm with secularism, however, when the party's activities were assessed as a whole it was seen that Sharia was not the goal".

--UZANS' YACHTS SOLD AT LAST

The yacht "Frequency" of Cem and Hakan Uzan, which was seized by Savings Deposit Insurance Fund, was sold to a Greek company for $27.5 million, while their other seized yacht "Airwaves" was purchased by a company from United Arab Emirates (UAE) for $26 million. The yachts have been put on sale for 6 times since 2004.

CUMHURIYET

--"MORE SERIOUS THAN CLOSURE"

Former Parliament Speaker Husamettin Cindoruk said that the chief public prosecutor's indictment regarding ruling AKP was approved by 10 members of the Constitutional Court. "In other words, the prosecutor has won the case," Cindoruk said.

Those members accepted that AKP had become the focal point of anti-secular acts and such acceptation became a final judgment, Cindoruk said and added that in such a case, the governance of a political party would cause legal problems.

--"EVERYBODY SHOULD TAKE LESSONS"

After Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that ruling AKP had never become the focal point of anti-secular acts despite the Constitutional Court's assessment on the issue, deputy Premier Cemil Cicek said, "we are the addressee of such decision at first hand, however, such decision concerns everybody and everybody should take lessons from it".

RADIKAL

--CASE OVER, MARKETS ENJOY VERDICT

The stock exchange, foreign exchange and bond markets climbed to the level they reached on March 14, when a closure case was filed against the ruling AKP. Experts said that dark clouds had dispersed, but market investors would more closely monitor the ruling party. The Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) opened Thursday morning with over a 5 percent rise, and closed the day 858 points up. The bond interest rates were down 18.69 percent, and this was the lowest level since April 25.

The U.S. dollar dropped to 1.545 new Turkish liras (YTL) during the day, which was a level recorded on January 16.

--THE REAL SAVIOR IS ECEVIT

The most important factor that saved the ruling AKP from a closure although the accusations against it were so similar to those against the Welfare and Virtue parties--that had been banned from politics, was the amendments made by Bulent Ecevit's government in 2001.

A three-party coalition led by Ecevit changed several regulations to adjust to the European Union (EU) in 2001. With the amendments it made, the coalition government brought cutting of financial assistance to a political party instead of closing it. Also, the same coalition, formed by the Democratic Left Party, Nationalist Movement Party and the Motherland Party, made another arrangement that said that the Constitutional Court could close a political party with votes of at least seven members, not six.

Thus, AKP was not closed although six members of the Constitutional Court voted for its closure.

YENI SAFAK

--BAN TENSION AT COURT

In the session in which the Constitutional Court decided not to close the ruling AKP, a discussion occurred on a ban to party members. Fulya Kantarcioglu, one of the members of the court, said that the court should vote on imposing political ban on politicians, whereas her request was returned saying that politicians could not be banned from politics when their party was not closed.

--TURKEY SHOULD FOCUS ON ECONOMY AND EU

President Abdullah Gul said that Turkey should now focus on fight against terrorism, economy and European Union (EU) membership bid. Posting a statement to the web-page of the Presidential Palace, Gul said that every one, particularly the government, should take into consideration international developments and focus on prior matters of the country.