ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on May 16th, 2008. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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BARGAINING METHOD IN TENDERS TO EXPAND
Public procurement system, which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized as he saw it an impediment in front of investments, will be changed once again.
Here are some changes under a draft law that was sent to the parliament: "medical equipment purchases will be excluded from the scope and a complaint can not be made about tenders that were already cancelled."
INTEREST PARDON TO PREMIUM DEBT
Turkish Labor & Social Security Minister Faruk Celik said that the government would restructure premium debts of employers due to Social Security Institution (SSK) and Social Security Organization for Artisans and the Self-Employed (Bag-Kur).
Celik said the government would omit 85 percent of the interest of those who pay their debts in 3-month period, 55 percent of the interest if the debt is paid within one year, and 30 percent in case the debts are paid in 24 months.
CHP TO OPEN OFFICE IN EUROPE
Republican People`s Party (CHP) chairman Deniz Baykal will respond to the criticisms of the EU executives that "CHP`s ideas are not clear about Turkey`s EU membership" by opening offices in Europe, firstly in Brussels.
The target is to boost CHP`S relations with the EU. The offices will be in cooperation with socialist and socialist democratic parties.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS IN "PURSUIT"
Osman Paksut, deputy chief judge of the Constitutional Court, has suspected that a motor vehicle was pursuing his automobile to tap his talks. It was revealed that the vehicle belonged to the Security Department, but there are many other questions left unanswered.
FOR THE SAKE OF THE QUEEN
The Queen Elizabeth HMS Illustrious aircraft carrier was allowed to come to Istanbul for the sake of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The Queen hosted a reception on board the carrier in honor of Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Passage of carriers through the Turkish Straits was banned under the Montreux Convention. The carrier was allowed to come to Istanbul only after leaving its fourteen aircraft in southern Cyprus and disarming its helicopters.
CONDEMNATION
Religious authorities and journalists have strongly reacted to Nuh Gonultas, a columnist of the Bugun daily who said that the waters of the Istanbul Strait should not be polluted with the ashes of Leyla Gencer, the last diva of the opera world. Istanbul`s top religious authority, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Cagrici, said people did not have the right to offend others for their preferences.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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MILIBAND WARNS AGAINST PARTY CLOSURE
United Kingdom`s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband held talks in Ankara. Miliband met chairman of the Republican People`s Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal, and chairman of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli. Referring to the closure case of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, Miliband said that closure of the AK Party would have devastating results.
SUPER OFFER
English Newcastle soccer club offered Turkey`s Galatasaray 16 million USD to transfer midfielder Arda Turan prior to the beginning of EURO 2008 championship. Sources said that Galatasaray was not willing to sell Arda.
VATAN (INDEPENDENT)
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IT TURNED INTO ROBBERY
Price of one litre benzine rose to 2.81 USD with the last price increase. Turkish people have the record of "buying the most expensive benzine in the world" as the government could not give up unjust tax it puts on fuel products.
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED EXCEEDS 2.6 MILLION
Turkish Statistical Institute made public the household labor force statistics in "February 2008" including January-February-March period. Number of unemployed rose 55,000 people over the same period of last year. Rate of inclusion to labor force dropped 45.9 percent. Rate of unemployment rose to 13.4 percent in cities.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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NO JOBS, NO HOPES
Unemployment rate in Turkey was 11.6 percent in February. The number of unemployed in Turkey reached 2,642,000. 74.8 percent of all unemployed people are male.
NEW SECURITY SYSTEM FOR PRISONS
Turkish Gendarmerie will no longer be responsible for security in prisons. According to a new arrangement, Turkish Ministry of Justice will be responsible for security in prisons. Justice Ministry will hire 12,000 new personnel and train them as security officers at prisons. The new arrangement goes into effect on January 1st, 2009.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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"ON TENTERHOOKS"
After Osman Paksut, deputy chief judge of the Constitutional Court, said that he had been pursued for the last two months following the closure case against the ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party, another member of the Turkey`s top court, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they were on tenterhooks. He also said that some newspapers and TV channels published their photographs and showed them as the "jurists who are going to decide on the case".
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES
The Turkish Board of Statistics has disclosed results of its survey for the period of January-February-March, and said that unemployment rate increased to 11.6 percent. Number of unemployed people became 2 million 642 thousand.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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EASINESS FOR PREMIUM DEBTS
The Turkish parliament has approved a bill including some amendments to the Labor Law. Under the law, premium debts of employers due to Social Security Institution (SSK) and Social Security Organization for Artisans and the Self-Employed (Bag-Kur) were reconstructed. Accordingly, interest for those who pay their debts in three months will be cut off by 85 percent.
WILSON EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER CLOSURE CASE
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson has expressed concerns over the closure case against the ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party. He said he hoped that Turkey would also overcome this difficult situation.
THE QUEEN ENJOYS HER TOUR OF ISTANBUL
On the third day of their visit to Turkey, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her spouse Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, enjoyed her tour of Istanbul. She visited the Kabatas High School which was involved in a joint science project with British schools. The Queen cruised the Istanbul Strait dividing the European and Asian sides of the city and toured the city`s museum of contemporary art.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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GOVERNMENT TO HIRE NEW EMPLOYEES
The Turkish government will hire 4,263 new employees. The government`s hiring will take place in the month of May, 2008.
BABACAN REQUESTS SUPPORT FOR UN SECURITY COUNCIL
Turkish Foreign Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Ali Babacan held talks with African ministers and delegations who are in Turkey to attend the Turkey-Africa Foreign Trade Bridge meeting. Babacan requested the support of African countries for Turkey`s non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council for the period 2009-2010. "If Turkey gets elected, we will do all we can to find solutions to the problems of the African continent," Babacan said.
YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)
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EXPLOSION IN FACTORY: 2 DEAD
Two workers were killed and 7 others were injured when a steam boiler in a dairy products factory exploded in Ankara`s Cubuk town.
Relatives of workers rushed to the factory after the incident. Dursun Ipek, a worker, said, "we thought it was an earthquake".
QUEEN ELIZABETH TOURS ISTANBUL STRAIT WITH GUL
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Philip visited Kabatas High School and attended an activity held within the scope of a science project carried out by high school students.
Following their visit to the school, British Queen and Prince Consort joined Turkish President Abdullah Gul and first lady Hayrunnisa Gul to take a boat trip at the Bogazici (Bosphorus), the Istanbul Strait.
Queen Elizabeth and Hayrunnisa Gul visited the Istanbul Modern Arts Museum and hosted reception in honor of Gul aboard her aircraft carrier. Representatives from business, art, media and sports attended the reception.
(UK-SOL-AY-MS)