Turkey press scan

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

ERDOGAN ACCUSES MEDIA

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Turkish media of  tipping off the European Union (EU) about police violence at last week's protest in Istanbul. Noting that policemen were provoked by protesters and criticizing media coverage of the incident, Erdogan said, ''first of all, our media exaggerated this a lot. All the television channels criticized the police. It's as if our media were tipping off Europe and the world about Turkey.''
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ARMAGAN RESIGNS FROM AK PARTY

Mehmet Sait Armagan resigned from the Justice & Development Party (AK Party). After resignation of Armagan, number of AK Party seats at the parliament decreased to 361.
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'AN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED''

The Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission proposed to establish an independent foundation of scientists in order to investigate the allegations of so-called Armenian genocide. Commission Chairman Mehmet Dulger said that they would convey their proposal to Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc soon.
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MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

VEGAS OR BUST!

Turkish daily Milliyet has found out that some of the high-level directors of the Turkish Society for the Homeless Children took trips to Las Vegas (Nevada, U.S.), Hollywood (California, U.S.) and Beverly Hills (California, U.S.) in order to ''find the appropriate materials for the needy children.'' Turkish Justice Ministry officials indicated that, due to such ''business trips'' of high-level directors at the Society for the Homeless Children, the society incurred losses valued at more than five million U.S. dollars.
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TURKS THROUGHOUT WORLD PREPARE TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST ALLEGATIONS OF GENOCIDE

An international symposium on the allegations of so-called ''Armenian genocide,'' will take place very shortly. The symposium, co-sponsored by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Security Council, will include globally known historians, political
scientists, archeologists and experts of international relations. ''We have been too silent on this issue of the so-called Armenian genocide. Enough is enough. We will no longer be silent on this issue...period!'' said a Turkish source.
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SABAH (LIBERAL)

EP CONDEMNS POLICE INTERVENTION IN PROTEST
The European Parliament (EP) said in a resolution that it strongly condemns the use of force by Turkish police to break up Sunday's demonstration marking International Women's Day. The EP resolution noted that Turkish women were still victims of violence and in some areas of so-called ''honor killings'' by male relatives who deemed the victim to have contravened moral codes and ''shamed'' the family.
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U.S. EMBASSY DENIES ALLEGATIONS

The U.S. Embassy denied allegations of some Turkish columnists who said that U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman and embassy staff encouraged U.S. journalists to write negative articles about Turkey. The Embassy said that U.S. journalists do not act as if they are spokesmen of the U.S. government.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

TGS BECOMES MEMBER OF EFJ

The Labor Union of Turkish Journalists (TGS) became a member of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). Brussels-based EFJ is a regional organization of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Europe since 1965. EFJ is Europe's largest organization of journalists, representing about 280.000 journalists in over thirty
countries. EFJ is accredited by the European Union, the Council of Europe and the European Trade Union Confederation as the representative of journalists in Europe. 

TUSIAD REACTS TO FRANCE

Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) said that      the package of constitutional amendments, which was approved by the French parliament on February 28th, was a discrimination against Turkey.Â
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RADIKAL (LEFT)

EUROPEAN DREAM SEEMS FAR AWAY

Turkish daily Radikal has remarked that Prime Minister's recent comments and referrals to the March 8th demonstrations in Istanbul as ''provocation,'' ''exaggeration'' and ''pro-certain circles'' in Europe may postpone Turkey's dream to join the European Union. Erdogan complained that the European Parliament speaks differently and acts differently. ''It is almost as if the European Parliament has an hidden agenda on us.''
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BOSCH GROUP TO START INVESTING IN IRAN

Bosch Group's Division of Industry and Commerce that works on the manufacture of automobiles have announced that they will soon start investing in Iran. ''Bosch expects profits of over 500 million Euros in 2005 in the Turkish market. The Iranian market promises to be a successful market for Bosch,'' told General Manager Gurcan Karakas.
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TURKIYE (RIGHT)

GENERAL OZKOK IN AFGHANISTAN

Visiting Turkish military personnel in Afghanistan, Turkish Chief of General Staff General Hilmi Ozkok has remarked that the Turkish troops have a prominent role in Afghanistan to ensure and keep peace. ''Turkey is very proud of all of you. As Turks, we are determined to help Afghanistan in all fields,'' said Ozkok. General Ozkok visited a
care center for children in Kabul and distributed gifts to over 50 children.
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HEALTH REFORM OF THE DECADE COMING UP

Turkish officials from the Ministry of Health have remarked yesterday (Thursday) that they are working on a new project that will carry health services to all corners of Turkey, regardless of whether the center needing medical services is a metropolitan, small town or a village. ''We are working on a highly essential health project that will take Turkey to the EU standards soon.''
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ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

ERDOGAN TO MEET ANNAN

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently in Spain to attend the ''Democracy, Terrorism and Security Summit'', is scheduled to meet United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan later today. Prime Minister Erdogan is expected to propose Annan to resume peace talks in Cyprus once again.
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JCR UPGRADES TURKEY'S RATING

Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) upgraded Turkey's rating on the bonds and local currency long-term senior debts of the issuer from B (+) to BB (-). In a statement, JCR said that the ratings reflected the political stability the current government had attained with its control of more than two thirds of the parliamentary seats, the progress it had made on structural reforms based on a standby credit agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the macroeconomic stabilization brought by the reforms, and the fact that
the European leaders, in evaluation of the country's reform efforts decided at their summit in December 2004 to initiate European Union (EU) membership talks with Turkey on October 3rd, 2005.
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YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)

DENKTAS: ''EU SHOULD SEE THE GENOCIDE IN CYPRUS''

President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said that Turkey has fulfilled the necessary Copenhagen political criteria, adding that additional requests such as the Cyprus issue and so-called Armenian genocide are nothing but pretexts to exclude Turkey from the European Union (EU). ''The EU wants Turkey to
recognize so-called Armenian genocide. We invite EU officials to come to Cyprus and see mass graves of Turkish Cypriot people killed by Greek Cypriots,'' Denktas said.
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