ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on May 11th, 2006. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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BAYKAL'S SURPRISING STATEMENT
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal indicated, ''Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc should not be the next President, because if one of them becomes the President, problems occur. Erdogan should not be President due to his mentality. Arinc should not become President due to his statements that he made on April 23rd.'' On the other hand, Baykal gave a message that if Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener ran for presidential elections, CHP could support Sener's candidacy.
WARNING ON SECULARISM
Sumru Cortoglu, who was newly elected the chairperson of the Council of State, delivered a speech regarding ''secularism'' at the ceremony to mark establishment anniversary of the Council of State. Cortoglu stressed that religion could not dominate state affairs, indicating that communal, political and economic structure of the state could not be based on religious rules.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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TENDER TRICK IN KARAMAN
Interior Ministry chief inspectors prepared a report that there were illegal practices in some tenders conducted by (southern city) Karaman municipality. Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu approved the request for investigations against administrators including Justice & Development Party's (AKP) Karaman office chairman Ali Kanturk and his aides Mehmet Ali Bocu and Mehmet Tekin. Municipality administration was accused of distributing aid packages to municipality workers instead of poor people and committing fraud in several tenders.
PRESIDENT SEZER VETOES SOME ARTICLES OF LAW ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer returned some articles of the law on ''Social Security and General Health Insurance'' to parliament for redebating. President Sezer vetoed 15 articles of the law. He stressed that the law was not fair and reasonable and noted that social state principle was not taken into consideration in the law.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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DRAFT ANTI-TERRORISM LAW SENT TO SUB-COMMISSION
Turkish Parliamentary Justice Commission has sent the draft envisaging amendment to Anti-Terrorism Law to the sub-commission. During talks on the draft law, several discussions happened among Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies.
SEZER VETOES SOME ARTICLES OF LAW ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer returned some articles of the law on ''Social Security and General Health Insurance'' to parliament. President Sezer vetoed 15 articles of the law.
VATAN (INDEPENDENT)
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GIFT OF $200 MLN TO MAKTOUM
Istanbul Municipality made an increase in the area of the field in Levent district of the city where Dubai Towers will be constructed by almost 100,000 square meters. The new construction plan was approved by Istanbul Municipality yesterday. The construction field of 147,000 square meters was increased to 243,000 square meters. Therefore, (Dubai Emir) Sheikh Muhammad al-Maktoum will earn 200 million USD more.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ANOTHER BOMB ON OUR NEWSPAPER
A hand grenade was hurled for the second time at the entrance of Cumhuriyet newspaper HQ in Sisli district of Istanbul at 11.50 p.m. yesterday. Bomb squad defused the bomb. Another hand grenade whose pin was not pulled out was hurled at the HQ on May 5th.
WARNING TO RULING PARTY
Sumru Cortoglu, who was newly elected the chairperson of the Council of State, delivered a speech regarding ''secularism'' at the ceremony to mark establishment anniversary of the Council of State. Cortoglu stressed that secularism was clearly explained in the Constitution, noting that communal, political and economic structure of the state could not be based on religious rules.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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PRESIDENT SEZER VETOES SOME ARTICLES OF LAW ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer returned some articles of the law on ''Social Security and General Health Insurance'' to parliament for redebating. President Sezer vetoed 15 articles of the law. He stressed that the law did not comply with social justice and equality principles of the Constitution.
COURT ACQUITS TWO PROFESSORS OF INCITING HATRED
A criminal court in Ankara acquitted two Turkish professors Ibrahim Kaboglu and Baskin Oran of ''inciting hatred and enmity''. The court also dropped charges against the two professors for ''insulting the Republic, state organs and judiciary'' on the ground that Justice Ministry refused to approve those charges. Earlier Kaboglu and Oran were accused of inciting hatred and enmity in the ''Minorities and Cultural Rights Report'' they released in 2004.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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FRANCE IN PANIC
Turkish government's harsh reaction to the draft law on so-called Armenian genocide shocked France. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ''I believe that the French parliament will not bring forward so-called Armenian genocide (allegations) as a virus between the two countries (Turkey and France) which have significant relations.''
TAN: ''I WISH FRANCE WOULD NOT MAKE ANY MISTAKE''
''Turkey wishes that the French legislators would not approve a draft law on so-called Armenian genocide,'' Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said. Responding to a question at a weekly news conference, Tan said French administration was sensitive towards this issue, stating that the issue required a process in which calm reactions should be given. ''It should not be the desire of anybody to cause uneasiness in a climate where our rooted relations are being improved,'' he remarked.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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ARMENIAN HISTORIAN REACTS TO FRANCE
British historian of Armenian descent Ara Sarafian reacted to the draft law on so-called Armenian genocide in France. Sarafian said that if this draft law was enacted by French parliament, it spoils relations between Turkey and EU.
THEATRE FESTIVAL TO BEGIN
The 15th International Istanbul Theatre Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation For Culture and Arts, will be the host of an extensive theatre meeting. The Festival opens with Aeschylus's ''The Persians'' on May 11th at the Hagia Eirene Museum, directed by Theodoros Terzopulos.
YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)
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TURKEY WINS FIRST ROUND
Turkey is determined to fight against a draft law which aims to make 'the denial' of the so-called Armenian genocide a crime till the very end. Turkish Ambassador in Paris Osman Koruturk will return to France today to hold talks. French parliament rejected the draft law, but a voting will be held on the draft law on May 18th.