GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON DEC 30

HURRIYET
-- MEDIATION SUSPENDED
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has given up all mediation efforts between Israel and Syria. Erdogan will begin a tour of Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on December 31 with the hope of finding a peaceful solution in the Middle East.Â
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-- NEW YEAR'S PARTIES GET AFFECTED BY ECONOMIC CRISIS
80 percent of all new year's parties that were to be organized by Turkish companies for their workers have been cancelled. The cancellations came due to the global economic crisis.
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MILLIYET
-- ERDOGAN TO VISIT REGIONAL COUNTRIES
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will pay visits to Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in an effort to ease recently escalating tension in the Middle East. Erdogan gave the toughest reaction to Israeli air strike against Gaza since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel, during his visit to Ankara last week, pledged that a humanitarian calamity would take place Gaza.
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-- ERDOGAN SPEAKS KURDISH
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has called on everyone to act in solidarity and unity in his exclusive interview with the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corp (TRT) SES prior to beginning of its broadcasting in Kurdish on January 1. Erdogan spoke a few words in Kurdish during the interview and wished luck. President Abdullah Gul also talked to the channel. Their interviews will be broadcast with Kurdish subtitles.
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SABAH
-- PRICE OF NATURAL GAS MAY GO DOWN BY 15 P.C.
The Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) has informed Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Guler that the price of natural gas in Turkey may go down by 15 percent as of January 1, 2009. Guler is expected to talk about this issue with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. If Erdogan says "yes", Turkey will enter the new year with more affordable natural gas.
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-- ERDOGAN ON PEACE TOUR
After Israel's attacks on Gaza in the past few days, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has decided to go on a tour of peace in the region. Erdogan will visit Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia beginning on December 31. Erdogan will exert efforts for peace on the new year's day.

VATAN
-- TURKISH MOTHER TALKS ABOUT GAZA ATROCITY
Meral Kazanci, a Turkish woman who lives in Gaza with her Palestinian husband, has said, "Israel hits brutally. Although it says that its target is Hamas, 50 percent of those who died in strikes, are innocent women and children." Kazanci, mother of four, said, "my two sons were in the school when Israel hit Gaza on Saturday. It was terrible to wait for their return. One of them came home with blood all over his cloths. He said that his friend died. There are many people trapped under debris. We cannot pull them out. They die in front of our eyes. We cannot do anything to rescue them."
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-- ERDOGAN TO TOUR MIDDLE EAST
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will tour several Middle Eastern countries including Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia on December 31 and January 1. Israeli air strikes against Gaza will be on top of Erdogan's agenda during his meetings with leaders of the regional countries.
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CUMHURIYET
-- NUMBER OF TURKISH CONTRACTORS GOING BANKRUPT INCREASES
The number of Turkish contractors who went bankrupt has increased in 2008 when compared to previous years. 20,000 contractors in Turkey declared bankruptcy in 2008. Around 50,000 Turkish contractors are in a difficult financial position. Most Turkish contractors expect an action plan from the government to help the Turkish construction sector.
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-- TURKISH JETS CONTINUE TO HIT CAMPS OF TERRORIST ORGANIZATION PKK
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) continue operations against the terrorist organization PKK. In the past 72 hours, more than 100 Turkish F-16 jets bombed camps of terrorist organization PKK at the Turkish-Iraqi border. The Turkish General Staff has made no comments on the recent operations of Turkish jets along the Turkish-Iraqi border.
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RADIKAL
-- ERDOGAN TO SPEAK IN KURDISH
Premier Tayyip Erdogan will speak a few words in the Kurdish language on state run TRT's new Kurdish channel on January 1. Giving an exclusive interview to the TRT-6 channel, Erdogan wished the new channel success.
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-- NO NEW YEAR'S PARTY AT TAKSIM
There will be no new year's party and celebrations at Istanbul's Taksim square. The celebrations at Taksim were cancelled due to Israel's attacks on Gaza that have left at least 300 people dead and hundreds of others injured.

YENI SAFAK
-- BRAIN TEAM
Nine neurosurgeons have been detained in the central province of Eskisehir for their alleged involvement in a corruption of 10 million YTL (nearly $6.5 million). Now, there are no surgeons in the province to scrub in neurosurgeries.
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-- ERDOGAN TAKES ACTION
Turkey, which gave the strongest reaction to Israeli air strikes against Gaza, will take action to put an end to bloodshed in the region. Prime Minister Erdogan will begin a tour of regional countries to ease the escalating tension. He will hold talks with leaders of Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.