ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on May 29th, 2008. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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BUGGING TREMOR
The news that the office of Onder Sav, the secretary general of Republican People`s Party (CHP), was bugged, caused a bomb effect in Turkey. CHP will submit a censure motion against Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan. For the allegations that Sav`s office was bugged, CHP chairman Deniz Baykal asked where the Constitution and state were. "Neither a government executive nor a state official has called us so far," Baykal said.
BUGGING IS A VIOLATION
Interior Minister Besir Atalay defined bugging as illegal, and said bugging, which hampered personal freedom, could not be approved. "We condemn this incident, which is like a violation," he also said. Atalay said that he had asked the authorities to investigate the allegations.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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HE BECOMES PRESIDENT DESPITE BULLETS
Mustafa Birden, who had been injured in the bloody attack against Council of State two years ago, was elected the new president of the top administrative court of Turkey--Council of State.
Birden got 50 votes. After being elected as the president, Birden said, "it was a thing of the past. Every problem is solved if you are friendly with people and society," while commenting on the attack.
BAYKAL ACCUSES GOVERNMENT IN BUGGING SCANDAL
CHP chairman Deniz Baykal claimed that CHP Secretary General Onder Sav`s office was bugged by officials. Interior Minister Besir Atalay denied the claims.
Ankara got confused when the conversation between Sav and Ali Serindag, former Governor of Black Sea province of Bolu, appeared in Vakit newspaper.
"Technological capabilities are systematically being used against a section of our citizens by certain gangs that are nested in the state," Baykal said.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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MONITORING CONTROVERSY
The allegations that CHP was being monitored stirred Ankara. The prosecutor`s office started an inspection on the allegations. CHP leader Deniz Baykal said Onder Sav`s conversation was monitored by the security forces and was serviced to daily newspapers. He said they would file a censure motion. The Minister of Interior denied allegations. Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat of Justice and Development (AK) Party said if Baykal couldn`t prove the allegations he would be a slanderer.
FIVE TURKS WERE MURDERED IN U.S.
Five members of a Turkish family were found dead in their residence in California, the U.S. Father Manas Ucar was shot dead while his wife, wife`s mother and twin daughters` bodies were rotten as the incident is believed to have happened 2-3 weeks ago. As the autopsies have not concluded, it is still not clear whether the five-member family was murdered and they committed suicide.

VATAN (INDEPENDENT)
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BUGGING GANG IS WITHIN THE STATE
Republican People`s Party (CHP) chairman Deniz Baykal said CHP Secretary General Onder Sav was bugged by a gang that nested within the security forces of the state, and were leaked out to Vakit newspaper. Baykal said, "technological facilities are used systematically against some citizens by certain gangs nested within the state" referring to the government. Baykal also said his party would submit a censure motion against the government.
"GHAZI" PRESIDENT TO COUNCIL OF STATE
Mustafa Birden became the new president of the Council of State. Birden had survived the armed attack against the Council of State with severe injuries two years ago. The first words of Birden after he was elected the president were: "Our first target is to abide by Ataturk`s principles and reforms."

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED MONITORING
CHP decided to file a censure motion against PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan after CHP SG Onder Sav`s conversation with a former governor was serviced to Vakit daily newspaper. CHP leader Deniz Baykal said they were witnessing an unprecedented incident in Turkish political life and CHP was being monitored by security forces under the control of the government. Baykal said everybody knew about the F-type structuring in the police department.
After Justice and Development (AK) Party came to power and the transformation in the Police department, illegal monitoring scandals increased. Conversations of Turkish Armed Forces personnel were published on Youtube. Alleged voice recordings of Former Chairman of the Higher Education Board Prof. Erdogan Tezic were published. Telephones of many daily newspapers were tapped and conversations were serviced to pro-government news organisations.
CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS OF BABACAN
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan addressed European Parliament`s Foreign Relations Committee. Answering a question on the religious freedoms of minorities in Turkey, Babacan said, "not only non-Muslim minorities, but also Muslim majority have problems regarding religious freedoms."

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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BAYKAL: GOVERNMENT BUGS CHP
CHP chairman Deniz Baykal held the government responsible for "bugging" of CHP Secretary General Onder Sav`s office.
In an interview with Radikal, Baykal said, "of course government is behind what has been going on."
FIRAT: ALLEGATIONS ARE PARANOIA
AK Party Deputy Chairman Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat said CHP chairman Deniz Baykal was trying to overshadow the "southeastern move" meeting of the government.
Firat described allegations of bugging which have come to the agenda in the recent days, as "paranoia".

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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FRIENDSHIP PROJECT BECOMES HOPE FOR PEOPLE
Business world, politicians and experts on terrorism believe that the new Action Plan, made public by the Prime Minister, would bring the happy end to Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP).
Experts and investors think that 12 billion USD of resource to be transferred to the region within 5 years would enliven the economy, end terrorism and turn GAP into a storage room of grains and cereals.
EU MEMBER TURKEY MEANS PEACE FOR WORLD
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, who discussed negotiation process with European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, relayed important messages to EP Foreign Affairs Committee.
Babacan said "Turkey makes important contributions to the EU in foreign policy even as a candidate country. EU`s strategic deepness will increase when Turkey becomes a full member."

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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BABACAN: MAJORITY IN TURKEY HAS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PROBLEM
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan spoke at the European Parliament. Babacan said, "not only the non-Muslim minorities, but also the Muslim majority face religious freedom problems in Turkey."
UNITED STATES ASKS TURKEY TO JOIN INTELLIGENCE POOL
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff met Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay in Ankara. Chertoff asked Turkey to join the common data bank, set up to share "actionable intelligence" regarding terrorist organizations.

YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)
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HIGHER EDUCATION BOARD TO FURTHER INCREASE STUDENT CONTINGENTS AT UNIVERSITIES
Higher Education Board ,(YOK) which will increase student contingents at universities by 42,000 in 2008-2009 academic year, decided to create contingents for 50,000 more students next year.
YOK Chairman Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, said with the extra cadre of 5,000 tutors promised by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan they would assign one tutor per 10 students for the extra contingents.
ARCELIK WANTS TO BUY GENERAL ELECTRIC
Arcelik is interested in buying the electrical household appliances of world giant General Electric (GE). A senior official of GE said, "whoever purchases this group with an annual turnover of 7.2 billion USD will become the giant of this sector."

(AY-BRC-OZG-MS)