GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON JAN 28

HURRIYET
-- SWORDS DRAWN OVER MAIN OPPOSITION'S CANDIDATE FOR ISTANBUL MAYOR
The ruling and the main opposition parties engaged in a duel of words after the Republican People's Party (CHP) named Kemal Kilicdaroglu as its candidate for mayor in Istanbul. "He [Kilicdaroglu] says he would walk around in mud boots in Istanbul. No need for that: Everywhere in Istanbul has been paved with asphalt. It is too late," Premier Tayyip Erdogan said. "He should first get to know Istanbul. He cannot do that just by living in this city for 10 years," said Kadir Topbas, Istanbul's current mayor from the Justice and Development Party (AKP). CHP leader Deniz Baykal responded: "The candidacy of Kilicdaroglu came to mean doomsday for someone. They are in a state of panic because Kilicdaroglu represents modesty and integrity."
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-- GREEK CYPRIOTS TO APPEAL TO HUMAN RIGHTS COURT OVER TURKISH ACTOR'S REMARKS
The Greek Cypriot administration has moved to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights and to the Council of Europe over remarks by a Turkish actor who said he killed a Greek Cypriot POW during Turkey's peace operation in Cyprus in 1974. "I killed ten people during the Cyprus operation in 1974. The first one was a 19-year-old prisoner of war. He spat on me when I point my gun at him and I shot him right in the head," Atilla Olgac, the actor, has told a televised interview. With the appeal, the Greek Cypriots are planning to corner Turkey in the Cyprus peace talks. Later, Olgac said he was misunderstood because what he had said about Cyprus was a scenario of a play he was writing.
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MILLIYET
-- ERDOGAN CALLS FOR MEDIA BOYCOTT AGAIN
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan repeated his call to "boycott media", saying, "Do not buy those newspapers." Erdogan said media twisted the facts about his remarks regarding Gaza and his talks in Brussels. "Truth is not what they wrote. In my meetings in Brussels, they told me (you have imposed a ban on press). No, I have not. But I have used civilian initiative. Let's boycott the media that covers false stories," Erdogan told his party meeting.
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-- NO CEASEFIRE BY ERDOGAN
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has taken a higher tone against the United States and the European Union as he continued criticism regarding Gaza. "I wonder, when did those countries, especially the United States and almost all of the European countries --who rushed into the conflict in Georgia-- step up in the Gaza issue?" he said. "They were involved after the tanks entered Gaza," he added.
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SABAH
-- BASBUG-KIVRIKOGLU MEETING
Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug had a meeting with former army chief retired gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu at the General Staff HQ in Ankara. Kivrikoglu paid a visit to Gen. Basbug and it was announced on the website of the General Staff. Kivrikoglu faced some accusations under the Ergenekon probe.
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-- AGREEMENT ON NABUCCO TO BE SIGNED IN ISTANBUL
The Nabucco Summit took place in Hungarian capital of Budapest. Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany made the opening speech of the summit in parliament. Gyurcsany said that they expected the EU would make a contribution of 2 billion euro to the project. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler attended the summit and returned to Turkey. Guler told reporters that intergovernmental agreement on the Nabucco project would be signed in Istanbul in the first half of 2009.

VATAN
-- TURKEY TO BUY 10 SPY AIRCRAFT FROM ISRAEL
Asked if the procurement of Heron spy aircraft would be delayed after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's harsh criticism against Israel regarding the Gaza issue, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said, "Our agreement to jointly produce Herons is still in force. They (Israel) sent two of the aircraft late December. There is a little bit of a delay, but I think they will send the remaining eight aircraft by the end of April." Each Heron unmanned surveillance aircraft costs $18 million.
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-- GREEK CYPRIOTS TO GO TO ECHR OVER OLGAC'S REMARKS
The Greek Cypriot administration has taken action after Turkish actor Atilla Olgac said, "I killed ten Greek Cypriots, one of whom was a 19-year-old war prisoner." Spokesman for the Greek Cypriot government said that they would take Olgac's remarks to the Permanent Members of the Council of Europe. The Greek Cypriots will also bring the issue to the European Court of Human Rights.
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CUMHURIYET
-- ELECTION BREAK ON TURKEY-IMF TALKS
As Turkey took a 10-day break from talks with the International Monetary Fund over a new stand-by deal; economic circles came up with different scenarios on the future of negotiations. One scenario says the government thinks that there is no need for an IMF stand-by deal. Another says that Premier Tayyip Erdogan is trying to avoid a quick deal as he fears it would cost him votes in the upcoming local elections, but that he plans to continue with the talks to prevent any negative impact on the economy.
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-- JUSTICE MINISTRY APPOINTS THREE NEW PROSECUTORS FOR ERGENEKON
The Turkish Justice Ministry has appointed three new prosecutors for an ongoing probe into what is publicly known as Ergenekon, an alleged criminal network with suspected ties to bureaucracy and the military. The Ergenekon investigation is run by prosecutors who are granted special authorities.
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RADIKAL
-- PREMIER ERDOGAN SAYS IMF TALKS HALTED FOR 10 DAYS
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said talks with the IMF have been suspended for 10 days. "Some sensitivities of Turkey have been overcome, but some still exist," Erdogan said. Premier Erdogan said the Turkish authorities would meet John Lipsky, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, within the scope of World Economic Forum in Davos.
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-- ORHAN DURU LAID TO REST
Prominent Turkish writer and journalist Orhan Duru was laid to rest in Istanbul. Duru died at the age of 76 at Surp Agop Hospital on Sunday. Several businessmen, journalists, writers and politicians attended the funeral.

YENI SAFAK
-- IMF TIME-OUT FOR 10 DAYS
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were suspended for 10 days. "Some of our sensitivities have been overcome, some have not," he said.      Â

-- GREEK CYPRIOTS TO GO TO ECHR
Actor Atilla Olgac's remark, "I killed a 19-year-old Greek Cypriot war prisoner in peace operation in 1974", has become a diplomatic scandal. Greek Cypriots are set to file lawsuits regarding missing citizens after Olgac's confessions. However, Olgac later said, "It was just a joke."