ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on April 7th, 2007. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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THIS LOVE GIVES LESSONS TO WORLD
Saskia L., a 16-year-old German girl, fell in love with 17-year-old Turkish boy Cafer who came to Germany`s Hamburg for youth activities within the scope of World Soccer Championship. Young lovers, then, took a flight to Turkey`s southeastern town of Adana without informing Saskia`s family. Young girl`s father, who now feels relieved when his daughter found and returned to Germany, spoke to Hurriyet:
"This love showed me that people could surmount all boundaries, outgrow all prejudices and that no power would be stronger than love," he said.
MISSING LETTERS NOT Q,W,X BUT ARABIC LETTERS
Turkish Culture & Tourism Minister Atilla Koc, who came on the scene with his proposal "Alphabet should comprise 32 letters", said lacking letters belongs to Arabic alphabet. Noting that some tones in Arabic alphabet can be sounded better, Koc said "I wanted to say that some it would be appropriate to add some letters to sound some tones better."
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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WE WERE AWARE OF IT
Commenting on the coup allegations in the diaries, which are said to belong to vice admiral Ornek, FM Abdullah Gul said "we knew these efforts before it was on the press, we conveyed it to those who need to know in the state."
Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, said interesting things regarding the diary notes that were published in Nokta magazine.
"We are well aware of the claims, efforts that are mentioned. We knew it before it was on the press. Those who need to know are informed. Besides public prosecutors would do what is necessary."
Gul continued "write this down: nobody can risk to interfere in democracy, nobody can dare to do it."
"UNIVERSITIES SHOULD NOT TAKE SIDE IN POLITICS"
Sabanci University appealed to the statement from the Committee of Rectors regarding presidential elections. Rector Prof. Dr. Tosun Terzioglu released a statement in the internal web site of the university, saying "universities can not take sides with a political opinion. To show our universities as a party and to draw them into political discussions would not benefit anyone."
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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ONLY ONE DIFFERENT VOICE IN THE "A TEAM"
Only one in 26 parliament members from Justice and Development Party (AKP) said, "stay as a prime minister" when Erdogan consulted them regarding Cankaya Presidential Palace (for becoming the president.)
PM Erdogan started to discuss with the MPs from AKP regarding his presidency, in an alphabetical order. In the first 26 people group whose name start with the letter A, all but one said "you have the right to be the president".
POLICE WANTS TO ESCAPE, CHIEF WANTS TO WORK IN ISTANBUL
Half of the police forces in Istanbul asked to be assigned to another city. The police chiefs want to work in Istanbul.
16,000 of the 29,700 policemen/women in Istanbul asked to be assigned to Anatolian cities. Their bills are waiting an answer from the governor. On the other hand, the police chiefs and superiors in the country wait for assignments in Istanbul.
VATAN (INDEPENDENT)
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ENOUGH, CEM UZAN
He mortgaged his two yachts to his men who are searched with red notice, in order to escape from state. When asked for the mortgage documents, he said "Turkey is a state of shari`a, police raided the house an took it." But the lies were not enough to rescue the yachts.
Savings Deposits Insurance Fund (TMSF) who sold all the firms, and belongings of Uzan family one by one, could not touch to two luxurious yachts because two companies from the tax haven Cayman Islands said, "those yachts do not belong to Uzan family, those are ours." TMSF went to court in Cayman High Court. Ali Cenk Turkkan, the representative of the companies who claim they own the yachts and who is paid by Uzan said, "the yachts do not belong to us anymore, we mortgaged them" on the court. When the court asked for the documents, they replied by shari`a argument, but could not succeed. TMSF is aiming to take over and sell the yachts by the end of this year.
FRANCE IS OPENING EMBASSY IN ERBIL
France`s ambassador to Baghdad Jean Girault who is making contacts with the Kurdish regional administration in northern Iraq, said they will open an embassy in north of Iraq where Barzani is in control. According to the rules of diplomacy to open an embassy in some place means to recognize that region as a country.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ERDOGAN OR GUL
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan started having meetings with deputies in groups. A huge part of deputies offered the suggestion to Erdogan "you or (Foreign Minister) Mr. Abdullah Gul should be the president."
Deputies warned him saying "a low-profile candidate can not get enough votes at the parliament."
FIRST NATIONAL TANK IN 2012
First national tanks that Turkey will have the intellectual property rights and set their properties will be ready in 2012. The project, in which Turkish companies like Aselsan and Otokar would take part in production, will cost about 500 million USD, sources said.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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"BOSS, YOU STEP UP TO PALACE"
Deputies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s ruling Justice & Development Party (AKP) gave a clear message to the leader. Deputies, who met with Erdogan, said "if you do not go up to Cankaya Presidential Palace, we can not explain it to our party organization. If you do not want to go up, then Mr. Abdullah Gul should. A third name might not pass from the parliament."
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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CHEAP HOUSING
TOKI (Housing Development Administration of Turkey ) will build houses sold with taxes of 250 YTL and 240 month fixed term, for citizens with low income.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who said they have built 230,000 houses so far, added, "TOKI will build low-budget houses for our citizens with low income."
Erdogan criticized those who are against global capital saying, "who are employed by those that invest billions here? Is it George or Mehmet? Whoever does the investment, at the end, it is our children who are employed."
BRAVE POLICIES BROUGHT GROWTH
"JP Morgan comments on Turkey"
Crockett pointed out that growth rates of Turkey are between 7 and 8 percent for years. He said this is not a coincidence, and such a growth rate is only possible by brave and strong policies.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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LEADERS REPROVES YOK: YOU GO UP WITH YOUR OWN BUSINESS
A declaration which said "the parliament can not elect the president without 367 deputies in election session" by Rectors Committee of Board of Higher Education was harshly criticized by politicians.
After the government, opposition parties said the declaration was a "clear intervention in democracy."
DEPUTIES TOLD ERDOGAN: "WE DON`T WANT A LOW-PROFILE PRESIDENT"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues discussions on presidential elections. After listening to views of Turkish Labor Unions (Turk-Is) and the Union of Chambers of Commodity and Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Erdogan get together with his party deputies the previous night. According to sources, deputies supported their leader on his way to presidency. Deputies said the candidate should definitely be a name that would make party organization happy. "We do not want a low-profile president," deputies said.
YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)
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INVESTIGATION TO THE PUTSCHIST
Judicial took the first step regarding the "coup attempt" that is claimed to take place in 2004. Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor`s Office started investigation about retired commanding officers Ozden Ornek and Sener Eruygur. The public prosecutor`s office acted upon a criminal complaint by Mazlum-der who demanded Ornek and Eruygur to be trailed in relation to Article 309 of the constitution regulating the crime of "trying to remove constitutional order by force."
EMAAR COMES WITH 5 BILLION USD
Emaar Properties that built Burj Dubai, the highest building of the world with 800 meters, is in Istanbul with giant projects.
The first project of Emaar from Dubai is the Toskana Valley in Buyukcekmece district. Emaar plans to invest 5 million USD in hotels and hospitals in five years.