DEADLY ATTACK TARGETS TOP JUDGES
A gunman, reportedly a lawyer registered with the Istanbul Bar, stormed into a meeting at the Council of State, Turkey's highest administrative court yesterday and opened fire, killing one judge and wounding four others. Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin died from a bullet wound in the head after hours of major surgery, doctors reported. The second chamber of the Council of State, whose judges were attacked, ruled this March against promoting a teacher who wore a headscarf outside school, a decision which angered Islamist circles as well as the government, which criticized the court as being anti-democratic. /All papers/

SEZER CONDEMNS ARMED ATTACK AGAINST COUNCIL OF STATE, CALLS IT "DARK STAIN" ON REPUBLIC'S HISTORY
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday issued a message to strongly condemn the deadly armed attack against five judges of the Council of State, saying that the attack was against the principles and institutions of the republic, which are guarantees of the independence, freedom, and modern life of the Turkish nation, and that such attacks will never reach their goals. In his message, Sezer said, "The attack, which took place while the high court was carrying out its hallowed duty, is a dark stain on the republic's history. Pressures and threats won't intimidate the Turkish judiciary. The Turkish judicial system will pursue its constitutional mission by staying loyal to the secular and democratic republic." /Sabah/

ARINC CALLS ATTACK ON COUNCIL OF STATE "TRAITOROUS"; GUL CONDEMNS ATTACK
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday condemned the armed attack against five judges of the Council of State, saying that Turkey had undergone a blatantly provocative action. In his statement, Arinc called the attack "traitorous," and added that it must be denounced no matter who committed it. He stressed that politicians should remain calm and try to make the nation do the same. In related news, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also condemned the attack, adding that it didn't just target the Council of State, but also the entire Turkish nation. "There can be no justification for such an attack," added Gul. "The government will seriously deal with the matter." /Turkiye/

ERDOGAN, OZKOK DENOUNCE DEADLY ATTACK ON JUDGES
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday condemned the deadly attack against the Council of State, saying that the attack aimed to harm Turkey's peace. Speaking to reporters after his meeting with his visiting Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen, Erdogan said that such an attack during a period of rising unity in Turkey was especially reprehensible. He added that it wouldn't be appropriate to talk about the reasons for the attack as the investigation is in progress. "It will become clear," he said. "We should try to strengthen our unity." In related news, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok sent a message to Council of State Chief Justice Sumru Cortoglu in the wake of yesterday's deadly assault, calling the attack "outrageous." He stated that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) condemnS the attack. /Turkiye/

COUNCIL OF STATE HEAD: "THE STATE WAS DEEPLY WOUNDED BY THIS ATTACK"
Council of State Chief Justice Sumru Cortoglu yesterday condemned the deadly attack against five judges of the court, adding that the attack had gone beyond the judges that it wounded and killed. "The Council of State was subject to a hateful attack which targeted the law, the Constitution, the republic, state, and the nation," said Cortoglu. "The state, which didn't maintain its judiciary, is deeply wounded." Cortoglu charged that "irresponsible" press institutions and certain authorities bore some responsibility for the attack. /Milliyet/

BAYKAL: "THE GOVERNMENT BEARS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ATTACK"
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday condemned the deadly attack against five judges of the Council of State, saying that the attack was an attempt to "massacre" the Council of State, the Constitution, and the secular and democratic republic. Asked whether the government bore any responsibility for the attack, Baykal said that he had no doubt about this. Opposition Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader Erkan Mumcu called the assault "an clear terrorist attack," adding that the nation should try to act with common sense. Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar, in a written statement, said that the attack targeted the entire nation. /Sabah/

FOREIGN MINISTRY: "WE HOPE THE ARMENIAN BILL WON'T BE PASSED BY THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT"
A bill to criminalize denial of the so-called Armenian genocide submitted by France's Socialist Party is set today to be debated and put to a vote by the French Parliament. Speaking at a weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Namik Tan yesterday said that Turkey's expectations were clear, adding, "We hope that the Armenian bill, which could seriously damage deep-rooted historical relations between Turkey and France, won't be approved by the French Parliament." Tan expressed Turkey's satisfaction that the bill aiming to introduce prison terms and fines for those who question the Armenian genocide claims is opposed both by circles in the French government and among the public. While declining to publicly comment on announcements over the controversial issue in order not to attract criticism from the Armenian lobby, French President Jacques Chirac, the French Prime Ministry and the French Foreign Ministry are silently lobbying to convince ruling Union for Popular Movement (UMP) deputies to vote against the bill. /Star/

FINNISH PM VISITS TURKEY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now hosting Matti Vanhanen, prime minister of Finland, which is set to assume the European Union term presidency on July 1. After their meeting, Erdogan told a press conference that any deadline before 2007 for ratification of the Ankara protocol was unacceptable, underlining that he won't bring the protocol to Parliament unless the EU ends the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. Vanhanen described Cyprus as one of the toughest issues during his country's upcoming term and said, "There's no shortcut to the EU. Once Turkey meets its commitments, then the EU will do the same. There are no additional criteria imposed on Turkey." /Aksam/

MGK SECRETARY-GENERAL ALPOGAN TO VISIT RUSSIA
Diplomatic traffic between Turkey and Russia is getting busier while Turkey works to convey messages between the West and Tehran. First, National Security Council (MGK) Secretary-General Yigit Alpogan will visit Russia with an Iran dossier on Monday as the guest of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Turkey on May 31 with the same agenda. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will visit Russia on June 28, and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc will do the same on July 11. "These contacts about Iran between the two countries are very important," said a Russian source. /Aksam/

IRAN'S RAFSANJANI: "TEHRAN AND ANKARA SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO ESTABLISH SECURITY IN THE REGION"
Turkey's new Ambassador to Tehran Gurcan Turkoglu yesterday met with Iran's Expediency Council Chairman Hashemi Rafsanjani. During the meeting, Rafsanjani said that the need for dialogue is being felt now more than ever, and Iran and Turkey should work together to remove hurdles to establishing security in the region. "Iran and Turkey are great powers in the region. The neighborhood and common ground between Iran and Turkey in terms of religious and cultural affinities is serving to develop relations between Tehran and Ankara," said Rafsanjani. /Cumhuriyet/

ARMENIAN, GREEK CYPRIOT EFFORTS TO BLOCK MISSILE SALE TO TURKEY FAIL
Attempts by four US congressmen close to the Armenian and Greek Cypriot lobbies to prevent the US selling air-to-ground SLAM-ER missile systems have ended in failure. Pentagon officials said that the congressmen's objections weren't enough to block the sales of the missile systems. The Pentagon made an announcement to Congress on April 28 about selling 50 AGM-84K air-to-ground SLAM-ER missile systems to Turkey for the use of Turkish Air Forces. The planned sale of the project is worth up to $162 million. /Cumhuriyet/