GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON DEC 18

HURRIYET
-- THOSE WHO APOLIGIZE MUST HAVE CARRIED OUT GENOCIDE
Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan opposed the campaign launched to apologize to the Armenians. He said he had difficulty in understanding the writers and academicians who launched the campaign. "They must have carried out such a genocide since they are apologizing. The Republic of Turkey does not have such a problem," said Erdogan.
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-- RECORD TAX TO FUEL OIL
The ratio of taxes on fuel oil to the refinery price was 180 percent in June 2008. Yesterday the ratio of taxes to the refinery price reached 409 percent. Turkey has been holding the record in this field for years and now it has beaten its own record.
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MILLIYET
-- TAYYIP ERDOGAN'S ANGER AT DECLARATION OF EXCUSE: IT SEEMS THEY THEMSELVES DID GENOCIDE
Premier Tayyip Erdogan criticized those who supported a declaration released to apologize to Armenians for the incidents of 1915, whereas President Abdullah Gul and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs defined the campaign as a requirement of democracy. These two attitudes revealed the difference of opinion among senior state officials.

The prime minister gave the harshest response to the campaign launched by a group of intellectuals who had supported the government until very recently. In reference to those who signed the declaration, Erdogan said, "It seems that they themselves committed such genocide, so they are apologizing. The Republic of Turkey does not have such a problem." Erdogan argued that this campaign would only cause chaos and harm peace.

Erdogan also said, "I have difficulties in understanding these intellectuals. It is not possible to understand what kind of an approach this is. Apologizing only binds individuals. If a crime is committed, the person who commits this crime apologizes. It is illogical to apologize when there is not such a crime."
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-- GUL: A LIVELY ATMOSPHERE OF DISCUSSION
President Abdullah Gul defined the campaign to apologize to Armenians for the incidents of 1915 and the counter-declaration of the ambassadors as "a lively atmosphere of discussion." Gul said, "Turkey is a country where different opinions can be explicitly expressed. Therefore, different people and different groups can come together and make public their views and opinions."
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SABAH
-- AKP TO GO ON WITH CURRENT MAYORS IN SOME CITIES
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) has launched its local election campaign. The current mayors of Antalya, Kayseri and Konya are running for another term in the local elections set for March 2009.

Speaking in the central Anatolian city of Konya, Premier Tayyip Erdogan said that Menderes Turel (the mayor of the Mediterranean city of Antalya), Mehmet Ozhaseki (the mayor of the central Anatolian city of Kayseri), and Tahir Akyurek (the mayor of Konya) would be AKP's candidates for mayor in the same cities in the upcoming local elections. Erdogan also said he could make public other candidate mayors of his party by Jan. 15.
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-- KURDISH TV TO BEGIN BROADCASTING ON JANUARY 1
The state-run Turkish Television and Radio Corporation (TRT) named the Kurdish TV channel to begin broadcasting in the new year as channel, TRT-6. The Kurdish channel will start test programs this Saturday and will officially begin broadcasting on Jan. 1, 2009. TRT has found announcers for the channel among its current staff.

VATAN
-- ERDOGAN ANNOUNCES THREE OF AKP'S CANDIDATES
Justice and Development Party (AKP) presented Menderes Turel, Mehmet Ozhaseki and Tahir Akyurek once again as their mayor candidates for Antalya, Kayseri and Konya respectively. Erdogan commented on the AKP's tendency surveys and said, "If we merely see this as inner party democracy, those candidates who managed to manipulate the party delegates will build their own rule. We will not fall for this trap," said Erdogan.
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-- 30 AL QAEDA MEMBERS CAUGHT
Thirty members of the outlawed the al Qaeda organization, who were making preparations for planned attacks, were caught in simultaneous operations waged in Istanbul, Izmir and Manisa. Many arms and materials used for producing bombs were seized during operations. It was revealed that the suspects conducted armed robberies to raise funds for the attacks.
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CUMHURIYET
-- FAKE VOTERS
Republican People's Party (CHP), which applied to the Election Board in the Nilufer district of the northwestern province of Bursa, announced that the number of registered voters increased by 47,000. The investigation carried out jointly by the board and the police revealed that 4,095 voters were registered to imaginary addresses. While the board erased the voters' registries of the said people, CHP members believe the extent of the counterfeiting was much greater than it appears. Huseyin Ozkahraman, chairman of CHP's branch in Bahcelievler district of Istanbul, said the number of registered voters in their district rose by 150,000 since the general elections in June 2007. Ozkahraman said, "They are fighting with fake votes against CHP which will win the elections in our district."
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-- THOSE WHO COMMIT CRIME SHOULD APOLIGIZE
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan strongly reacted to the campaign launched to apologize to the Armenians and said the two countries were trying to enhance relations. "I don't accept that campaign. This campaign will only reverse the steps that were taken to that end. To be honest, I have difficulty in understanding those writers," said Erdogan.
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RADIKAL
-- RISK OF PROTRACTING IF ERGENEKON AND COUNCIL OF STATE CASES ARE UNITED
The Supreme Court of Appeals has ruled that two cases regarding the attack on the Council of State and the Ergenekon should be united, and overturned the imprisonment verdicts for the suspects involved in the Council of State attack. This ruling has raised expectations and discussions. Some circles argue that the ruling may result in an investigation into the relationship between the two cases and serve justice, whereas some say that it may protract the two cases. Jurists say that two courts, including the Ankara and Istanbul criminal courts, cannot agree and it seems that the Supreme Court of Appeals has to intervene to solve the disagreement.

In both cases, the judges have to wait for the process to end to make their final decision in the Ergenekon case. The problems will not be over even after the disagreement is solved. Here is a simple example: Cumhuriyet daily newspaper is an aggrieved party in the Council of State attack case as a victim. However, two important members of Cumhuriyet daily are suspects in the Ergenekon case.
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-- GOOD NEWS FROM BANKS TO REAL SECTOR
A new era is about to begin in relations between the banks and the real sector, which become tense with the economic crisis. Ersin Ozince, the chairman of the Banks Association of Turkey, said that banks were working on a new debt restructuring approach.

YENI SAFAK
-- I DID NOT COMMIT ANY CRIMES, WHY SHOULD I APOLOGIZE
Premier Tayyip Erdogan said he had difficulty in understanding the apology campaign launched at a time when Turkey was trying to normalize relations with Armenia. "They are apologizing on their own behalf. We did not commit any crimes so why should we apologize," said Erdogan.

-- TRIAL FOR GUNDOGAN CONTINUES, PERPETRATOR STILL NOT FOUND
The villain who detonated two bombs in an area closed to traffic killing 18 people and injuring 154 others is no where to be found. The search for the PKK terrorists, with four different code names whose features were drawn according to an informing e-mail, still continues. The prosecutor who finished the investigation completed the indictment and said the attack was carried out by the PKK. The prosecutor asked the court to sentence the two suspects who are charged with serving as scouts during the attack, with 18 life prison sentences, plus 4,042 years of inprisonment each.