GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAR 21

HURRIYET

-- GIANT TALENT: SERDAR KEPENEK

Serdar Kepenek is the person made public by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a candidate Istanbul mayor from the Republican People's Party (CHP). Kilicdaroglu said that Kepenek was getting consultancy wage worth 4 million Euros from the Istanbul Municipality as "asphalt expert." Now, it is revealed that Kepenek was also a consultant for the Ankara Municipality. Born in the central city of Sivas in 1968, Kepenek became a German citizen in 2001. He has established companies in Istanbul and Ankara, and is earning great deal of money from the asphalt companies of the municipalities.

-- ONE-YEAR DEFICIT IN BUDGET IN TWO MONTHS

The Turkish economy had a negative development also in February. The Turkish budget had a deficit of 10.3 billion Turkish liras (TL) in the first two months of the year. (One dollar is 1.6940 TL) Thus, the year-end 10.3 billion TL of budget deficit was recorded in the first two months. The budget deficit was up 2,187 percent in this period over the same period in 2008.

MILLIYET

-- COURT OVERRULES CANCELLATION OF NEWS REPORTER'S CREDENTIALS

An Ankara court ordered a stay of execution for a Prime Ministry decision to cancel the press accreditation of one of the news reporters of the daily MILLIYET. The court said news stories written by the reporter, Abdullah Karakus, while covering the prime minister, did not violate the principles of his profession. The Prime Ministry now has to reinstate the press credentials of Karakus.

-- TURKISH C.BANK REVISES CREDIT CARD INTEREST RATES

The Turkish Central bank reduced in credit cards the maximum conventional interest rate down to 3.96 percent and overdue interest rate down to 4.71 percent. The changes will be in effect as of April 1. Banks cannot issue interest rates higher than the new ones.

SABAH

-- WE HAVE OVERCOME CONFIDENCE CRISIS WITH ARMY

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the guest of Erdal Safak, Mehmet Barlas, Hasan Bulent Kahraman and Fuat Ugur in a program on private ATV channel. Erdogan gave important messages before next week's local elections. Erdogan said, "the confidence between the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and our government is important or my country and nation. If there is any doubt, my nation will pay the price." Erdogan said that there might have been some confidence problems between the TSK and the government, however the tension was overcome after the two got to know each other. Erdogan also said that if there had been no global economic crisis, his party could raise its votes. "Our success criteria is the rate in local elections in 2004, i.e. 42 percent."

Also, Erdogan said that there was need for some maturity regarding headscarf issue. Erdogan also commented on the presidential elections in 2007, and said, "during our six-and-a-half-year government, I was affected the most from the presidential election. I thought what kind of a country this was." (The parliament sought participation of 367 MPs in the first round of the presidential election.)

-- ETHNIC ORIGIN EMPHASIS

President Abdullah Gul issued a Nevruz message: "Turkey is a country in which people of different belief, language, ethnic origin and culture live together in peace."

VATAN

-- BOEING MONSTER FOR TURKISH AIRLINER CRASH

American attorney in law Gerald Stern who has won a reputation for law suits he filed against Boeing company claimed a Turkish airliner crash in February in Amsterdam was due to a faulty altimeter not the piloting. Stern said he could represent families of the victims of the crash if they wanted to press charges against Boeing. Stern last filed a suit against the U.S. company after a Philippines Airways plane went down, killing 161. The Boeing was ordered to pay 1.2 million dollar each for to the relatives of the victims.

-- PREMIER ON SECULARISM

Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan said majority of the Turkish citizens were Muslims but the state administration was secular. "In this country the people are Muslims but the administration is secular. The task of the secular administration is to secure the faiths of the people," Erdogan told a televised interview.

CUMHURIYET

-- RECORD DEFICIT IN BUDGET

The AKP government reached its 12-month budget deficit in the first two months of 2009. The revenues were down due to the global economic crisis, and the government did not cut its election investments, and the expenditures were up. Thus, Turkey reached its year-end budget "deficit" target in two months. The budget was forecast to have 10.398 billion Turkish liras (TL) of deficit at the end of the year. (One dollar is 1.6940 TL) The budget recorded 96.6 percent of the budget deficit target in two months. The two-month budget deficit was 10.359 TL. The budget recorded a budget "surplus" around 496 new Turkish liras (YTL) in the first two months of 2008.

-- BABACAN: WE HAVE NO OBJECTION TO KURDISH CONFERENCE IN IRBIL

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said that Turkey would not object to a Kurdish conference planned to be held in Irbil. Babacan said that Turkey would not object if it was a conference putting forth the desired goals.

RADIKAL

-- CRISIS HITS BUDGET

The two-month budget figures of Turkey proved how the economic crisis had a negative effect on economic and financial targets. Tax revenues were down, interest expenditures were up, and budget figures were hit. After the sharp decline in industrial production and drop in foreign trade, the budget deficit broke a historic record. The Finance Ministry was planning a year-end budget deficit of 10.397 billion TL (One dollar is 1.6940 TL), however the two-month budget deficit was 10.359 TL.

-- MEASURES AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT ON THE WAY

Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said that the fourth package against the economic crisis raised demand, and new measures were on the way. Unakitan said, “unfortunately, unemployment has started to become a serious problem in our country recently. The government is working hard to find a remedy. We will prepare new packages to solve the problem."

YENI SAFAK

-- GOOD NEWS TO FARMERS

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that the government extended the maturity of the agricultural loans given by the Ziraat Bankasi. Erdogan also said that the maturity of management loans was up from 18 to 24 months, and the maturity of investment loans was up from 5 to 7 years.

-- TRT: WORLD STAR IN 80 DAYS

TRT Ses, which began broadcasting in Kurdish on January 1, will begin broadcasts aiming at the Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans and the Middle East. The new state-run TRT channel that can be watched from a wide geography including Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans and the Middle East will be launched on Saturday with a concert of Turkish pop singer Tarkan. President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will participate in the gala which will take place on the Nevruz Day, considered as the beginning of a new era. The state-run TRT is also preparing to launch radio stations in Armenian and Kurdish and TV channels in Persian and Arabic. First, a TV channel in Arabic will be opened.