GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON JUNE 17

HURRIYET

--WE SALUTE TURKS

European press has described the victory of Turkey over Czech Republic in Euro 2008 as extraordinary and unbelievable. The Daily Telegraph said that Turkey was the king of the championship, while the Marca wrote that it was a Turkish miracle.

--"MIRACLES TAKE SOME TIME"

Turkey's coach Fatih Terim said after the team's 3-2 victory over Czech Republic, "miracles do take a little time. They are taking some time in this tournament, too. But we are a team that never gives up." Turkey will face Croatia on June 20 in the quarter-final.

--A CASE OF GOOGLE

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has indicated in its 155-page defense, "it seems that it is a case of Google. The chief prosecutor collected evidence from the Google search engine even on his weekend vacation."

MILLIYET

--GOOGLE DEFENSE

Turkey's ruling AKP said in its 402-page defense submitted to the Constitutional Court that Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya was "imposing militant secularism as a life style." A total of 152 pages of the defense were allocated to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It said that Erdogan had meant the headscarf was not a political symbol when he said "even if it is a political symbol".

The AKP's defense also said that the closure case lost its meaning after the annulment of the amendment that lifted the headscarf ban in universities and that the court can not try President Abdullah Gul.

--KYOTO SPLITS GOVERNMENT

Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretariat General for the EU Affairs and Ministry of Environment and Forestry supported the signing of the Kyoto Protocol by Turkey. However, some of the executive institutions, especially the State Planning Organization, several ministries and representatives of industry argued that the signing would cost a great deal more to Turkey compared to other European countries.

SABAH

--VIENNA LANDING

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will leave for Vienna to watch the Turkey vs. Croatia quarter final. President Abdullah Gul said that he could go to Vienna to watch the game too.

--CHEER OF A LONE AND BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

The national soccer team brought together the hearts of Turkey’s 70 million people and eased the stress over the closure case against the ruling party, the headscarf issue and military coup rumors. When Turkey qualified to the quarter finals, people in every town and city from the northwestern province of Edirne to the southeastern province of Hakkari took to the streets to celebrate Turkey's victory.

VATAN

--THIS IS A GOOGLE CASE

The ruling AKP, which submitted its written defense on the merits of the closure case filed against it, said that Chief Prosecutor first decided to file a lawsuit against the party and then collected evidence from the internet and newspapers. "Thus, it is a Google case," said the party.

--2 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE NO HOPE OF EMPLOYMENT

According to the figures for March 2008 announced by the Turkish Board of Statistics, the unemployment rate rose to 10.7 percent. The official number of unemployed people is 2,496,000. And the painful truth: the number of people, who have no hope of finding a job and to resign to try to find a job, has reached 2,154,000.

CUMHURIYET

--STRIKE IN TUZLA

Workers of a shipyard in Tuzla have gone on a strike to protest those responsible for the recent deaths of workers. They demanded an urgent improvement of working conditions at the shipyard. A number of labor unions, non-governmental organizations, political parties and intellectuals extended full support to the strike. Since 1992, 99 workers have died at the shipyard.

--95,000 NEW UNEMPLOYED

The number of unemployed persons increased by 95,000 and reached 2,400,000 million in March 2008, the Turkish Board of Statistics (TURKSTAT) said. According to the TUIK's Household Labor Force Survey for the months of February, March and April 2008, Turkey's unemployment rate reached 10.7 percent in March 2008. The unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in the same period of 2007. The labor force participation rate was calculated as 46.7 percent.

RADIKAL

--WE ARE SO DELIGHTED

Turkish people celebrated until the morning after Turkey's victory over Czech Republic in Euro 2008. Coach Fatih Terim prudently reacted to journalist who criticized him and cracked a joke.
"I am sorry that your articles changed after the 70th minute," Terim told a press conference.

--ARMY OF JOBLESS REACH 2.5 MILLION

Increasing unemployment could not be stopped in March. The unemployment rate rose to 10.7 percent. The number of jobless people reached 2,490,000 million. It means one in every five Turkish youths are jobless.

YENI SAFAK

--THIS IS A GOOGLE CASE

The AKP said in its defense that Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya could not prove his allegations and that he worked on Google search engine for a couple of days after deciding to file the lawsuit and then drew up his indictment. The AKP said that the prosecutor first decided to file the lawsuit and then searched for evidence.

--"NO TEAMS CAN SURVIVE THE LAST 15 MINUTES"

UEFA President Michel Platini and Vice President Senes Erzik watched Turkey's match against Czech Republic together. Platini told Erzik that he had never seen such a team. "No teams can survive the last 15 minutes. I think you (Turkey) would win the cup," Platini said following Turkey's victory.