ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on March 23, 2009. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

TURKIYE
HISTORIC VISIT FROM GUL AFTER 33 YEARS
A new era is beginning in Turkey-Iraq relations. President Abdullah Gul will travel to Iraq on Monday. During his two-day visit, Gul will hold meetings with Iraq's President Jalal Talabani and Premier Nuri Al Maliki on economic cooperation and joint fight against terrorist organization PKK.
BAHCELI: MARCH 29 IS NOT JUST A LOCAL ELECTION
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli called citizens in Adana to the ballot box: "This election will not only determine the mayors but also shape up the road map of the future of our nation."

ZAMAN
HIGHEST LEVEL VISIT TO IRAQ
President Abdullah Gul will travel to Baghdad on Monday. Gul is the first Turkish president to travel to Baghdad in 33 years. Gul's historic visit to Iraq shows Turkey's willingness to develop ties with Iraq in all fields possible.
ISTANBUL HOSTS 5 POLITICAL RALLIES IN A SINGLE DAY
There is only a week left for local elections in Turkey. Istanbul hosted five major political party rallies on Sunday in a very colorful atmosphere. During the rallies, there were no problems and everyone passed the test of democracy.
TURKISH EXPORTS TO IRAQ INCREASE BY 75 P.C.
After a decline in the European market, Turkish businessmen were able to conduct business with Iraq and increased exports to this country. In the first two months of 2009, Turkish exports to Iraq increased by 75 percent when compared to the same period last year.

YENI SAFAK
COME TO RUSSIA
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, invited Turkish businessmen to make more investments in Russia. "If they invest in Russia now, they will win in the future." He said that they had made a similar call in 1990, recalling that ENKA accepted their call and became a great firm.
DECISION DAY
The High Criminal Court in Ankara will decide whether to combine the case of the attack on members of the Council of State with the case of Ergenekon organization. Earlier, the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that it was necessary to combine the cases.

VATAN
RASMUSSEN'S FATE IN TURKEY'S HANDS
New secretary-general of NATO will be elected in July. After Canada withdrew its candidate, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former prime minister of Denmark, became the strongest candidate. The United States first backed Rasmussen as the next secretary-general. But when Turkey said that it would veto Rasmussen, who protected the Roj TV and played an important role in cartoon crisis with the Islam world, the United States took a step back and said that it was essential to persuade Turkey.
REUTERS SAYS CHP LEADER FACES ANOTHER POLL LOSS
Alexandra Hudson of the British news agency Reuters watched the rally of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in the northwestern province of Yalova and commented, "party loyalists wave flags and cheer but an air of hopelessness prevails as veteran Turkish opposition leader Deniz Baykal, loser of four national elections, addresses his faithful." "Baykal convinces supporters that every election loss for the CHP only makes his mission more crucial. Much of the dejection over the lack of an opposition focuses on Baykal, the 70-year-old former academic who AK Party members joke is their 'greatest asset'," Hudson wrote.

CUMHURIYET
TUSIAD REBUKES GOVERNMENT ONCE AGAIN
Chairperson of Turkey's Industrialists and Businessmen Association, Arzuhan Yalcindag, said, "IMF wants autonomous tax audit. The ruling party, which does not accede to that, is using its power and financial audit as a tool for pressure; today let alone criticising, we are scared to make assessments."
Yalcindag stressed that threatening businessmen not to lay off employees was not a solution. "The government did not recognise the crisis on time, and was late to take measures against it," said Yalcindag.
SABANCI GROUP WARNS: OUR ENERGY RESTS ON EDGE OF KNIFE
Chair of Sabanci Group's energy venture Selahattin Hakman said Turkey had been too late in making energy investments. "If Turkey's economy starts to enliven a little, energy shortage will reappear. Therefore new investments and construction of new power plants should not stop," said Hakman.

RADIKAL
HISTORICAL VISIT
President Abdullah Gul will travel to Baghdad on Monday. Gul will be the first Turkish president to visit Baghdad after a period of 33 years. Gul's agenda to be discussed in Baghdad has terrorist organization PKK on top. Turkish Presidential sources said that Gul might meet with Massoud Barzani.
BRITISH COMMENT FOR BATTLES OF TOURISM: FUNNY PRICES
The Sunday Times in a news article said that a three-stars hotel in Turkish resort town of Marmaris is giving out rooms for 8.4 TL per person per week. Such a price is really funny, the newspaper said.
STATE MINISTER CUBUKCU JOINS NICOLE KIDMAN'S CAMPAIGN
State Minister Nimet Cubukcu joined the campaign of movie star Nicole Kidman who calls for "No" to violence against women throughout the globe.

HURRIYET
FOREIGN INVESTORS SCARED
Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, one of the most influential magazines in the world, said that the tension between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Dogan media group scared foreign investors. In an article entitled "Sultan and Dogan", the magazine said that Erdogan's attitude damaged Turkey's image as a safe country for investing.
TUSIAD ON INCREASING UNEMPLOYMENT
Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) chairperson Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag welcomed the government's recent package of economic measures. She added, "but, if the government had taken necessary measures much more earlier, the rate of unemployment would have not increased that much. In that case, we could overcome economic crisis more easily. The global crisis was underestimated, and the government failed to take necessary measures on time."

MILLIYET
TURKEY'S IMAGE AS A COUNTRY OF INVESTMENTS GETS HURT, GERMAN MAGAZINE
German magazine Der Spiegel argued that Turkey's image as a country of investments got hurt recently. According to Der Spiegel, the tax penalty issued to Turkey's Dogan Group was a political decision and that confidence in Turkish state of law diminished. Der Spiegel said that foreign investors in Turkey had been bothered by recent developments in the country.
ERDOGAN CRITICIZES BAYKAL
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the northwestern province of Edirne on Sunday for a rally of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party. Criticizing the main opposition leader Deniz Baykal, Erdogan said that individuals older than 70 years of age should quit politics and retire. "Go ahead and work as a consultant or the head of a foundation. But stop appearing in political activities after the age of 70," Erdogan said referring to Deniz Baykal.
WE MAY PERMIT U.S. TO USE TURKISH TERRITORY WHILE WITHDRAWING FROM IRAQ, ERDOGAN
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey might permit the United States to use Turkish territory while withdrawing its troops from Iraq. Erdogan stressed that the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq was a positive development.

SABAH
TURKEY MAY SEND ADDITIONAL TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN
National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said Turkey might send additional troops to Afghanistan. He said they did not want Turkish troops to be deployed in war zone, as Turkey could play a role in talks with Taliban.
GUL DUE TO BAGHDAD
Abdullah Gul will be the first Turkish President to visit Baghdad in 33 years on Monday. Gul will meet with Iraq's President Jalal Talabani as well as head of the regional administration in north of Iraq, Masoud Barzani.