GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAY 15

HURRIYET
-- "BE HONEST"
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently paying a state visit to Poland, criticized President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel over their recent negative statements regarding Turkey's EU membership process. "They use such expressions because of the upcoming elections. I believe in honesty in politics. The game has already begun and we are on the field playing it. So it is not appropriate to change the rules of the game now," he said.
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-- CINDORUK VOWS TO MERGE DP AND ANAP
Husamettin Cindoruk, one of candidates running for the Democrat Party, or DP, leader, said that he would merge DP and the Motherland Party, or ANAP. "Under our party I will unite masses of people who have been searching for a political party to vote for," he said.
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MILLIYET
-- STRONG REACTION FROM ERDOGAN TO SARKOZY AND MERKEL
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan strongly criticized French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel over their repeated opposition to Turkey's EU membership made in recent statements. Erdogan called on both leaders to pursue "proper and honest" politics. He said, "We will come together again in the future. These (statements) are unacceptable."
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-- VISA REVOLUTION FROM GERMANY
The German Interior Ministry decided that bus drivers, assembly workers, as well as sportsmen and artists, who travel for commercial purposes from Turkey to Germany, would be exempt from visa procedures. The ministry's spokesman, Stefan Paris, said that the decision was not conveyed to border gates yet, and it applied only for truck drivers so far.
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SABAH
-- INTEREST RATE DROPS HALF POINT
As expected the Central Bank cut interest rates by 0.5 point to 9.25 percent. The bank, which has been reducing interest rates since November 2008, gave the signals for new reductions.
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-- AND... ADIOS ARAGONES
Fenerbahce soccer club's President Aziz Yildirim will hold a press conference today, and officially announce that they dismissed Spanish coach Luis Aragones. The club administration will pay 3 million euros in compensation to Aragones.
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-- TEAR GAS BOMB AT SCHOOL
The gas bombs, which were fired by police to quell citizens' protests occurred during the destruction of a building, landed in a school playground in the Altinsehir district of Istanbul. A number of students attending Tepe Elementary School were affected by the tear gas.

VATAN
-- "THEY ARE NOT HONEST"
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and German Chancellor Angela Merke,l who claimed that there was no room for Turkey in the EU, were not honest. "The game has already begun and we are on the field playing it. It is not appropriate to change the rules of the game now. I believe in honesty in politics. We held many tete-a-tete talks with both President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel. I think that they should stand behind the statements they made during those talks," he said.
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-- SAYLAN'S CONDITION DETERIORATES
The health of the chair of the Organization for Support for Contemporary Life, or CYDD, Prof. Turkan Saylan, has deteriorated. Her doctor confirmed that the chemotherapy treatment she had been receiving for cancer, was stopped.

CUMHURIYET
-- VILLAGE GUARDS MISLEAD GENDARME FORCES
It was revealed that village guards misled gendarme forces during the massacre of 44 people during an engagement ceremony gathering in the village of Bilge in the southeastern province of Mardin. The parliamentary inquiry commission completed its investigation into the killings and submitted its report to parliament. According to the report, the village guards who committed the murders had misled gendarme forces by saying that terrorists attacked the village.
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-- ATASOY BECOMES PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL BOARD FOR NARCOTICS CONTROL
Professor Sevil Atasoy of Turkey was elected the new president of Vienna-based International Narcotics Control Board, or INCB. Atasoy has been a member of the board since 2005. Before being elected as president, she served in the post of vice-president. Atasoy became the first female president of the board since 1990.
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RADIKAL
-- EU ARGUMENT CONTINUES
Upon statements of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who oppose Turkey's EU membership, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said, "The match has already started but they want to change the rules now. People are laughing at it."
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-- BESIKTAS HAPPY, FENERBAHCE SEND ARAGONES
Fenerbahce soccer club has sacked coach Luis Aragones after it was unable to beat Besiktas in the Fortis Turkey Cup final, marking 26 years since the club has won the cup. Besiktas, on the other hand, are very happy.
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-- HUGE SCULPTURES IN CAPPADOCIA WHICH CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE
Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers completed his new huge sculptures in Cappadocia in the central Anatolian province of Nevsehir. The statues, which were erected with the help of 200 people using 15,000 tons of stone, can be seen from 400 kilometers above the earth.

YENI SAFAK
-- ERDOGAN: BE HONEST
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan sent strong messages to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel who oppose Turkey's EU membership: you are making an investment for the elections, but what you are doing is not proper. We will come face to face in the future again.