GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON DEC 31

HURRIYET
-- PREMIER SAYS 2009 WILL BE A TOUGH YEAR
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said 2009 would be a tough year, adding that economic hardships were waiting Turkey in 2009. "The year 2008 was a tough one. However, it has not been a year in which the Turkish nation lost. In 2009, there are tough days waiting for us due to the global financial crisis. But, we will turn 2009 into a year of opportunities for Turkey by taking preventive measures," Erdogan said.
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-- ERDOGAN TO TOUR MIDDLE EAST
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is set to begin Wednesday touring a number of countries in the Middle East in a bid to find a peaceful settlement to Israeli-Palestinian conflict as Israel's attacks on Gaza have continued to gain intensity. Erdogan will visit Syria and Jordan on Wednesday, he will proceed to Egypt on Friday. He will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
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-- PASSENGER BUS CRASH KILLS 10
Ten people were killed and 43 others were wounded when their bus collided head on with a truck carrying fish. The accident happened near the Black Sea province of Kastamonu. The bus was enroute to the Black Sea province of Ordu from Istanbul.
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MILLIYET
-- MUTUAL APOLOGY ALSO IN CYPRUS
The apology campaign initiated by a group of intellectuals in Turkey on Armenian deportation also had an impact in Cyprus. Some intellectuals living in Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides of Cyprus make calls for an apology text regarding sorrowful incidents that occurred in both sides.
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-- TAPPING ALLEGATIONS IN CHP HEADQUARTERS
Accounting officer of Republican People's Party (CHP), Mustafa Ozyurek, said a bugging device was found in the office of a CHP member. The name of the Central Executive Board member was not announced. CHP administration started search in all rooms upon the allegation.
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SABAH
-- APOLOGY BOOK FROM THE GREEK
Greek author Tasos Kostopulos wrote a book about the crimes against humanity committed by the Greek army between the years 1919-1922 in Anatolia. Kostopulos wrote in his book that the Greek army had intentionally implemented a policy of violence in the Balkans and Anatolia.
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-- ISRAEL: WE HAD NO INTENION TO CAUSE EMBARASSEMENT
Israeli Social Affairs Minister Yitzhak Herzog responded to Premier Tayyip Erdogan's remarks. In his remarks, Erdogan criticized Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert by saying that "nobody could risk Turkey's respectability". Herzog said that no decision had been taken yet for an operation during Olmert's visit to Ankara. "We had no intention to cause embarrassment neither for the Turkish premier nor for the Turkish public," Herzog said.
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-- THERE WILL BE REVIVAL IN 2009, SABANCI
Chairperson of Sabanci Holding, Guler Sabanci, said that there would be a relief and revival in the Turkish economy towards the end of 2009. Sabanci also said that an agreement with IMF would open the doors for liquidity.

VATAN
-- BUG IN CHP HEADQUARTERS
According to Republican People's Party (CHP) member Mustafa Ozyurek, a bug was found on the desk of assistant of Deputy Secretary General Algan Hacaloglu. The scandal broke out on Saturday, Ozyurek said. Experts said it was a battery operated tapping device called "bug". Ozyurek said they immediately searched the room of CHP chairman Deniz Baykal.
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-- TURKEY HOSTS 26 MILLION TOURISTS THIS YEAR
Turkey was ranked the 5th in Europe and was among the top ten countries of the world this year as it hosted 26 million tourists. France was ranked the first by hosting 80 million tourists and Spain the second by hosting 60 million tourists. Italy was the third and Britain was the fourth.
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CUMHURIYET
-- BACK TO TURKISH LIRA
Turkey will meet with its new banknotes and coins starting from tomorrow. Visually-impaired citizens will be able to identify the new banknotes thanks to hologram foil stripes. Hologram foil stripe, which is one of the security features used on the new banknotes, will be used on TL banknotes for the first time in the world.
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-- TAPPING SHOCK AT CHP
Mustafa Ozyurek, spokesperson for Republican People's Party (CHP) Central Executive Board, said that a "bugging device" was found in a board member's room at CHP headquarters in Ankara. Ozyurek said "such illegality should be prevented by the government".
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RADIKAL
-- TELEPHONE BUG FOUND AT OPPOSITION PARTY BUILDING
Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has said a telephone bug was found at its party headquarters. The bug was found at the office of Algan Hacaloglu, party's deputy secretary-general. The CHP made no appeal to the police for investigation.
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-- TURKISH LIRA: WELCOME AGAIN
Turkish lira (TL) will be in circulation again as of January 1, 2009. "New Turkish lira" has been in circulation since 2005 when six zeros were omitted from the Turkish currency. The Turkish Central Bank has already issued 1.3 billion TL of banknotes and passed them over to the banks.

YENI SAFAK
-- BUG IN CHP
Republican People Party's (CHP) accountant Mustafa Ozyurek said that the device found at his party's headquarters was examined by experts and they informed party officials that such a device was used for tapping. They did not file a complaint with the police, Ozyurek said. "CHP has nothing to hide. The government should prevent illegal tapping," he said.
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-- APOLOGY MESSAGE TO ERDOGAN
Yitzhak Herzog, Secretary of the Israeli Security Cabinet, apologized to Premier Tayyip Erdogan who recently described the attack targeting Gaza as a "disrespectfulness against Turkey". Herzog, who is also Israel's Minister of Social Affairs, said that his country did not have any intention to embarrass neither Erdogan nor the Turkish public.