GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAR 17

HURRIYETÂ

-- PLAN TO BY-PASS CHIEF PROSECUTOR      Â

Justice & Development (AK) Party is getting ready to both strip the chief prosecutor off his authority to file a closure case and hand over it to a board. For this, a "mini package" of constitutional amendment is
 on the agenda. AK Party will start having talks with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) this week. AK Party is not affirmative to the suggestion of MHP chairman Devlet Bahceli to annul party closures and open individual investigation against the perpetrators. On the other hand, CHP indicated that any amendment that ends the closure case will contradict the state of law.
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-- VISIT OF MORAL SUPPORT TO GUL
President Abdullah Gul, who is accused in the closure case against Justice & Development (AK) Party for extending support to schools of Fethullah Gulen, will receive members of Abant Platform today who are known with their close ties to Gulen. The platform's co-chairman Prof. Mete Tuncay said the appointment was made last week, however he was pleased that the appointment coincided with such a day. "You can interpret it as a moral boosting visit," he said.
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MILLIYET

-- TUSIAD: SHUTTING DOWN IS AGAINST DEMOCRACY

A press release issued from Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) said closing political parties was unacceptable in respect to democracy. "Past experiences have showed that closing political parties did not contribute to the solution of problems," said TUSIAD.
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-- BLOW TO INSPECTION IN PUBLIC TENDERS

A draft prepared by Public Procurement Authority paves the way for public tenders for energy, water and postal services to be exempt from inspection. The draft foresees the arrangement of construction works, procurement of goods and services with a special law.
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SABAH

-- TUSIAD: THIS IS NOT REMEDY

Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) said the move to shut down the ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party can not be a remedy in contemporary democracies. TUSIAD said closure of the parties in the past led to serious question marks about Turkey in international public.
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-- THERE WILL NOT BE CRISIS IN MARKETS

"Whatever happened last Monday will also happen this Monday. There is no need for discontent," Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said while relaying a message to those who expect chaos in the markets because of the closure case.

VATAN

-- SUPPORT FROM BRITISH MINISTER TO AK PARTY

British Foreign Minister David Miliband said the closure case was against European democracy and said, "this case does not suit Europe's democratic standards and the principle of separation of powers (judicial and political). We hope it would be concluded in accordance with political norms."
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CUMHURIYET

-- AK PARTY LOOKS FOR A FORMULA

Justice & Development (AK) Party started to look for ways out after Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals, filed a lawsuit to close the AK Party. As the first alternative, a mini constitutional amendment package, making closure of the parties more difficult, is under assessment.
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-- SULTANS OF EUROPE

Vakifbank Gunes Sigorta (of Turkey) defeated Infoplus Minetti Imola of Italy 3-2 in European Women's Challenge Cup final and became the champions of the tournament that took place in western province of Bursa.
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RADIKAL

-- TRUMP CARD OF AK PARTY IS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

As soon as the closure case filed by the chief prosecutor against the Justice & Development (AK) Party was heard, the first plan discussed at the AK Party lobbies was the "mini amendments to the Constitution". According to the plan, the chief public prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals will not have the authorization to bring the closure cases to the Constitutional Court on his/her own.
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-- MARMARAY IS QUAKE RESISTANT

Cahit Savas Yazici, Executive Board President of the Armarin Maritime which constructs Marmaray that passes under the Istanbul Strait, said Marmaray would be resistant against quakes measuring 10 on the Richter scale. The life span of the tunnel is 1,000 years.

YENI SAFAK

-- CLOSING POLITICAL PARTIES IS UNACCEPTABLE

Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association showed reaction to closure case against Justice and Development (AK) Party: "Closing political parties can not be a solution in democracies." "Closing a political party will bring serious questions as to whether the Turkish democracy works in accordance with international standards."
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-- JAPANESE MODEL FOR CLOSURE

After Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) suggestion for removing the party closure option, AK Party jurists started working on the Japanese model, which requires permission of the parliament for closure cases. Article 69 of the Constitution will be amended and the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office will have to take permission from the parliament before filing a lawsuit for the closure of a political party.