GUL COMMENTS ON THE ERGENEKON CASE
Unresolved high-profile murders, terror groups and criminal gangs have stood in the way of political normalization and stability in crisis-prone Turkey for decades, but an indictment on Ergenekon, a criminal network suspected of plotting a coup against the government, suggests these seemingly unrelated crimes may be far from random. A glance through the 2.455-page indictment, which some say launched the trial of the century, reveals the discomforting possibility that all the dark moments of Turkey`s recent history could be the result of a deliberate attempt by a central network to create a state within the state and an alternative establishment aimed at steering politics. "Our country has a bright future. The future will be better," said President Abdullah Gul, when asked yesterday to comment on the Ergenekon case while in his hometown Kayseri. He declined to comment further, saying only that the court will fulfill its duties and make its decision on the case. The indictment, made public on Friday, says that Ergenekon network was behind a series of earth-shattering political assassinations over the past two decades. /Today`s Zaman/

TWO BLAST KILLS 16 PEOPLE, INJURES 154
Two bombs which were put on a street open to the pedestrian traffic in Istanbul`s district of Gungoren yesterday exploded with intervals of 10 minutes and killed 16 people and injured 154. President Abdullah Gul condemned those who display the cruelty of terrorism and show their desire for violence and barbarity without discriminating between the men and women and children, young and old people. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned the terrorist attack in a written statement. /Aksam/

NEWSWEEK PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON TURKEY
The American Newsweek journal asked in an article entitled "Democracy in the Dock" what would happen if the Turkish court bans the ruling party, prime minister and president. "At the Constitutional Court in Ankara, four professional judges and seven laymen will rule on whether to close Turkey`s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and ban 70 of its top members and party founders-including the president and prime minister-on charges of pursuing a hidden Islamist agenda," wrote the journal. The article added, " Critics have described the proceedings as an attempted "judicial coup" mounted by hard-line believers in Ataturk`s secular principles. Despite the flimsiness of the charges, the court is unlikely to acquit the party-if only because it would mean a humiliating climb-down for the judges who agreed to deliberate the case." The article further stated that a "decision to close it and ban its top members from politics would provoke a political crisis, leaving the country leaderless and creating a dangerous power vacuum in Turkish politics. The AKP founders, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, are high-profile global figures with many friends in the West." /Sabah/

LAGENDIJK ARRIVES IN TURKEY
Turkey-EU Joint Parlaimentary Commission Co-chairman Joost Lagendijk arrived in Turkey today to follow the closure case opened against the Justice and Development Party (AKP) which will start to be deliberated at the Constitutional Court today. /Cumhuriyet/

TSK ATTACKS PKK TARGETS
The General Staff stated yesterday that an effective air operation was performed by the Turkish Armed Forces` (TSK) war planes against the PKK targets which were determined in Iraq`s region of Kandil Mountain last night. The General Staff`s statement added that the etnire 12 targets belonging to the terrorist organization were hit and that our planes which had fulfilled their duty successfully had come back to their headquarters. /Cumhuriyet/

GULER SENDS A DECLARATION TO INSTITUTIONS ATTACHED TO HIS MINISTRY
Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said yesterday that their aim was to put local resources to maximum good use in energy production and make Turkey a regional force in terms of energy. Guler mentioned his gladness about the work performed in the energy sector in a declaration that he sent to institutions attached to his ministry. Guler wrote that the energy production should be continuously increased and the energy should be presented to consumers as cheap as possible, because one of the most important means of creating a globally competitive economy is supplying cheap, sustainable and safe energy of good quality. /Sabah/