GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAY 31

HURRIYET

-- PKK DECLARED AS NARCOTICS TRAFFICKER
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U.S. President George Bush included the terrorist organization PKK in the list of illicit drug traffickers. PKK is now a target of the sanctions foreseen by the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act that entered into force in 1999. Thus, the terrorist organization and its supporters are barred from access to the U.S. financial system, and U.S. nationals and companies are prohibited from doing business with the terrorist organization.
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-- IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF MEDIUM, IT IS BECAUSE OF NEGLIGENCE
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Turkish Telekom's data indicated that Republican People's Party (CHP) Secretary General Onder Sav was listened for 44 minutes on his cell phone. A correspondent of Vakit newspaper called Onder Sav, and Sav pressed the "yes" button by mistake. The cell phone remained open for 44 minutes and thus, the secretary general was listened. Telekom's data was posted on Vakit's web-page and this document made CHP's situation difficult because the party was claiming that "the medium was being bugged."
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MILLIYET

-- GREAT STEP FOR ENVIRONMENT
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Turkey took the first step towards signing the Kyoto Protocol. Turkey's Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu sent a note to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that "Turkey will sign the Kyoto Protocol and that it would be appropriate for the Turkish parliament to approve the protocol".
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-- U.S. ADMINISTRATION INCLUDES TERRORIST PKK ON LIST OF DRUG SMUGGLERS
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U.S. President George W. Bush has moved to include the terrorist organization PKK on a presidential list of illegal drug traffickers, the White House said on Friday. The U.S. decision will limit the activities of terrorist PKK in Europe.
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SABAH
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-- CHP'S SAV COLLAPSED BADLY
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The Republican People's Party (CHP) claims that they were bugged were proved to be inaccurate. The party allegedly said that their secretary general Onder Sav's telephone was bugged by the government and the dialogue was leaked to a newspaper. However, Turkish Telekom data proved that a correspondent of Vakit newspaper listened to Sav's telephone and recorded the conversation. When Sav was talking to former governor of Bolu, Vakit correspondent called him. Sav forgot to hang up the telephone, and Vakit newspaper recorded Sav's conversation.       Â
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-- CLOSURE INSISTENCE FROM CHIEF PROSECUTOR
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Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya submitted his opinion on the merits of the Justice & Development Party (AKP) closure case. The chief prosecutor claimed that "Shariah would be implemented" if the party was not closed. The prosecutor also argued that AKP should be closed under the Venice principles.
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-- TURKISH PAINTING SOLD AT 8 MILLION YTL
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Painter Osman Hamdi Bey's painting named "An Istanbul Lady" was sold at 3.3 million pounds (8 million new Turkish liras) at an auction in Britain.

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VATAN
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-- 44-MINUTE LIVE BROADCAST
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Vakit's correspondent claimed that they listened to Republican People's Party (CHP) Secretary General Onder Sav from his cell phone, which he left open by mistake. The correspondents put forth a document acquired from Turkish Telekom as an evidence. According to the document, Onder Sav was called on his cell phone from a telephone number that belonged to Ankara office of Vakit newspaper at 10:03 a.m. on May 23rd. The telephone conversation lasted for 44 minutes and 6 seconds. According to the claims, Sav was in a meeting with governor Ali Serindag at that time. Sav did not want to talk to Vakit correspondent and wanted to hang up the phone, however he pushed the button "yes" by mistake. The correspondents listened to the conversation from the cell phone that remained open. Even if Vakit's claim that "they listened the conversation from the cell phone that remained open" is accurate, such a tapping is also considered "illegal." However, the punishment is not daunting. Those who tap such a conversation face prison terms only up to six months.
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-- SHARIAH ACCUSATION
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Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya used severe expressions in his indictment against the Justice & Development Party (AKP). He said the "AKP aimed at a Shariah state." The chief prosecutor reiterated his demand that 71 people, including President Abdullah Gul and Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, should be banned from politics.
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CUMHURIYET
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-- TOPTAN: IT SHOULD BE ILLUMINATED
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Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said that claims should be illuminated when talking about the allegations that Republican People's Party (CHP) Secretary General Onder Sav was bugged. "If Turkey does not illuminate such a thing, there will be doubts about the security forces of the state and this will harm the security forces."
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-- "THEY WANT TO BRING SHARIAH"
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Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya conveyed to the Constitutional Court his opinion about the merits of the closure case against the Justice & Development Party (AKP). Yalcinkaya said that the closure was in line with Venice criteria, and said that the party wanted to implement Shariah.
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RADIKAL

-- NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM DOES NOT SATISFY SPECTATORS
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Turkey's national soccer team did not satisfy spectators despite beating Finland 2-0 in a friendly game ahead of the EURO 2008 championships. Turkey is in Group A of the EURO 2008 championships and will compete against Switzerland, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Most Turkish soccer experts say that the Turkish national soccer team lacks an effective game plan and that it is far away from making a good start at the EURO 2008 championships.
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-- ERDOGAN SUPPORTS BABACAN
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Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said that "Muslims in Turkey have problems regarding religious freedoms". In response to Babacan's comments, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his support and said, "we, as 99 percent of the Turkish society, cannot say that we have no problems".

YENI SAFAK

-- TELECOMICAL
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The Republican People's Party (CHP) displayed great anger that "they were being bugged", however it was shocked when it was proved that CHP Secretary General Onder Sav left his cell phone open. CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal and Sav are now facing a difficult situation.
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-- A GOOD DECISION
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Environment Minister Veysel Eroglu sent a note to the Foreign Ministry that "it was appropriate to adopt the Kyoto Protocol." Eroglu said that the issue would be taken up in a cabinet meeting.