GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON AUGUST 20

HURRIYET

-- PRESIDENT PARDONS HOME IMPRISONMENT
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President Abdullah Gul pardoned the former leader of the banned Welfare Party (RP), Necmettin Erbakan, who was under house arrest after being found guilty on corruption charges, publicly known as the "lost trillions" case. He pardoned former Prime Minister Erbakan, who had been sentenced to house arrest, because of chronic illness, just 12 days before the beginning of Ramadan. Gul, himself was a suspect in the "lost trillions" case. Erbakan's lawyer Yasar Gurkan said, "He is 83 years old and sick. We wanted the pardon to be issued before Ramadan. Justice is served."
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-- COUNCIL OF STATE HALTS EXECUTION OF 11 PRIVITIZATIONS
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The Council of State halted the execution of 11 decisions by the Privatization Administration on privatization of nine state-owned highways and the two Bosporus bridges under the transfer of operation rights method.Â
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MILLIYET

-- HOUSE ARREST OF ERBAKAN ENDED
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President Abdullah Gul pardoned the remaining sentence of Necmettin Erbakan, former leader of the banned Welfare Party (RP), who was under house arrest on charges in the "lost trillions" case of the RP. Erbakan was accused of fraud for falsifying party records to hide RP's cash, which were ordered to be seized after his party was disbanded.       Â
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-- TARGET OF BOMB LADEN VEHICLE WAS POLICE DEPARTMENT
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Police chased and tried to stop a car in the southern province of Mersin after they received a tip off that the car was laden with explosives. The suicide bomber managed to escape from the first check point, however he detonated the bomb at the second check point after realizing police would stop him. Thirteen police officers were injured in the blast. The explosion is believed to have been cause by 30 kg of C-4. It was also revealed that the target of the terrorist was the police department.       Â
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-- "STOP" CALL FROM GUL TO AL BASHIR
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Discussions continue over the visit of Sudanese leader al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide, to Istanbul to attend the Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit. Referring to the incidents in Darfur, President Abdullah Gul, who met the Sudanese leader, said those human tragedies should end.
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SABAH

-- GUL URGES SUDANESE PRESIDENT TO END SUFFERING
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President Abdullah Gul met his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir in Istanbul, and they discussed the Darfur problem. Gul urged al-Bashir to "end the suffering". "No matter it is Christian or Muslim, every life is important for us. Turkey cannot remain indifferent to what is happening in Africa," Gul told al-Bashir, who is accused by an international criminal court of multiple accounts of genocide in Darfur.       Â
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-- CAR BOMB KILLS ONE, INJURES DOZEN
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A car rigged with explosives was detonated Tuesday in southern Turkey, killing the suspected suicide bomber and injuring 12 others, many of them police officers. The bomber detonated the bomb after police stopped his car on a tip-off in the southern province of Mersin.

VATAN

-- IS THIS RIGHT MR. PRESIDENT?
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President Abdullah Gul was among the accused that included Necmettin Erbakan, in a case which was filed on charges that false documents had been prepared to show that the banned Welfare Party (RP) had spent treasury aid totaling 1.2 million YTL in 1997. However, Gul could not be tried because of his political immunity. Necmettin Erbakan, former leader of the banned RP, was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment.
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Erbakan's sentencing was adjourned for four times due of his ill health. Later, a law was enacted enabling over-75s to serve out their prison terms in their private residences. Erbakan began serving his sentence in May 26, 2008 at his summer house in Altinoluk town in the western province of Balikesir. President Gul pardoned the 2.4 year house arrest sentence of Erbakan under a law enacted by the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
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-- NOW STRAITS PROBLEM!
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U.S. President George W. Bush pushed the button to send two hospital ships of the U.S. Naval Forces to the Black Sea to show that it supports Georgia and intimidate Russia. U.S. officials asked for permission from Turkish executives five days ago to pass from the straits. However, under Montreux Convention, permission can not be given to floating hospitals that are as big as aircraft carrier.
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CUMHURIYET

-- GUL PARDONS ERBAKAN'S PENALTY
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President Abdullah Gul who was not prosecuted in the "lost trillions" case thanks to his immunity, pardoned Necmettin Erbakan, former leader of the dissolved RP, who was sentenced to home imprisonment in the same case, due to chronic illness. Leader of the Felicity Party (SP), Recai Kutan, welcomed the decision. Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Atilla Kart said President Gul exercised the power given to him by the Turkish Constitution; however, the decision should be questioned ethically because Gul himself was a suspect in the same case.
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-- U.S. WILL ABIDE BY MONTREUX CONVENTION
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U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Matthew Bryza, said Washington would abide by the Montreux Convention. Bryza said they had not yet made an official demand about the ships which would carry humanitarian aid to Georgia and talks continued. Bryza noted that they were considering sending ships in compliance with the Montreux Convention and said they understood the fact that the convention was an important part of Turkey's legal structure.
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RADIKAL

-- PRESIDENT PARDONS SENTENCE OF DEFUNCT PARTY LEADER
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President Abdullah Gul pardoned Necmettin Erbakan, leader of the banned RP, who was under house arrest. Gul cited Erbakan's poor health as the reason for the pardon. Erbakan, 82, was accused of fraud for falsifying party records to hide RP's cash in what is publicly known as the "missing trillion case."
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-- TURKEY HOPING FOR MEDAL IN WOMEN'S 5 KM IN BEIJING
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Turkey's Olympic hopes are high again with two athletes to run in women's 5,000 meters at the Beijing Games. Elvan Abeylegesse, who won the silver medal in 10,000 meters run, and Alemitu Bekele Degfa, who ranked third in the heats, will run in Friday's final for Turkey at Beijing's Bird Nest stadium.

YENI SAFAK

-- U.S. REPORTED TO BE BARGAINING WITH TURKEY ON PASSAGE OF HUMANITARIAN AID VESSELS THROUGH TURKISH STRAITS
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The U.S. was reported to have engaged in bargaining with Turkey to secure permission for the passage of its two hospital ships, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, through the Turkish straits to the Black Sea to help war-torn Georgia. The Pentagon was said to be insistent on the issue. Vessel passage through the Turkish straits is regulated by the Montreux Convention signed in 1936. The convention does not allow vessels weighing above 45 gross tons to sail in the Black Sea unless they carry the flag of a littoral country.
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-- CAR BOMB KILLS ONE, INJURES 13

A car packed with explosives was detonated on Tuesday in the southern province of Mersin, killing the suspected bomber and 13 policemen. Acting on a tip-off, police stopped the car at a checkpoint and ordered the driver to get out of the vehicle but he detonated the bomb.