GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAY 7

HURRIYET

--OLLI REHN: MAY DAY SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED

The EU made important assessments about the dissolution case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and about the disproportionate use of force by the police on May Day at the Turkey-EU Troika Foreign Ministers meeting. EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn asked for an investigation to be launched regarding the May Day incidents.

 

MILLIYET

--YALE'S LEADER CANDIDATE OYA UNLU

Oya Unlu Kizil, director of corporate communications at Koc Holding, was accepted to the 2008 Yale Global Leaders' Program together with 18 others. Unlu is the first Turk to qualify to attend the program.

--DELAYED REACTION FROM EU FOR MAY DAY

European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said it was regrettable that police used disproportionate force on May 1.
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While speaking at the Turkey-EU Troika foreign ministers meeting, Rehn said standards of both the European Union and International Labor Organization should be abided by in terms of unionist rights.

 

SABAH

--EU: "WE CANNOT BE INDIFFERENT TO LAWSUIT"

The EU Troika meeting took place in Ankara on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel of Slovenia, which holds rotating EU presidency, said Turkey would become a member of the EU sooner or later.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said they could not remain indifferent to the lawsuit filed to close down Turkey's ruling AKP. Rehn said a political party could only be closed down if it backed violence, racism and terrorism. The meeting also focused on the incidents that took place in Turkey on May 1. Rehn said excessive force was used during the May Day demonstrations.

--HISTORY NOT TO FORGIVE

The ruling AKP's 96-page defense submitted to the Constitutional Court was made public. The defense said the history would not forgive those who blocked the country's struggle for a modern civilization.

 

VATAN

--OPPOSITION TO SUBMIT TWO CENSURE MOTIONS AGAINST RULING AKP

The leader of Turkey's main opposition party said that they would submit two censure motions against the ruling AKP. "We will ask for the incidents of May Day and the sale of the media group, Sabah-ATV," Deniz Baykal said.

--VODAFONE TO SELL APPLE’S iPHONE IN TURKEY

GSM operator Vodafone announced that it agreed with Apple Inc. to sell the iPhone in 10 countries, including Turkey. "Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network," the UK-based company said in a statement.

Apple's iPhone is a multimedia mobile phone combining camera, media player and internet services including e-mail and web browsing.

 

CUMHURIYET

The EU Troika, which met with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, criticized the police violence on May 1. The delegation said "we communicated out expectancy for an investigation to be launched on the matter."

The delegation expressed their concern over the dissolution case filed against the ruling AKP. French Secretary of State for European Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet said they did not intend to harm the EU accession talks with secular Turkey.

--PM DEFENDED POLICE VIOLENCE

PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who accused the labor unions of exploitation, defended the actions of police which turned the holiday into hell for those who gathered to attend the celebrations. Erdogan said, "Who are the police? Are these not our sons who are in charge of securing the lives of the people of this country without ever discriminating? What is the reason for this enmity against the police?"

Leader of the Republican People's Party, Deniz Baykal announced that they would submit a censure motion against PM Erdogan regarding the incidents on May Day.

 

RADIKAL

--DEFENSE OF RULING AKP: CLOSURE CASE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FILED

From the preliminary defense of the ruling AKP: "The indictment was written with political prejudices. We do not accept any claims or accusations. We don't make defense but note down in history."

The defense of the ruling AKP said the indictment was "irrational" and displayed the "presence of a perception problem."

--FROM MINISTER SIMSEK TO CENTRAL BANK

State Minister Mehmet Simsek responded to Central Bank Governor Durmus Yilmaz who criticized the government for loosening its fiscal discipline.

"The target for the inflation could not be reached even when the discipline was very high. The targets could not be attained despite high interest rates," Simsek said.

 

YENI SAFAK

--INDICTMENT IS ILLEGITIMATE

In an initial argument against a closure case, the ruling AKP said the chief prosecutor's indictment was "political, illegitimate and a fantasy."

"The chief prosecutor has acted like a political opposition figure. The indictment is not legitimate, legally or politically. Our understanding of secularity is parallel to liberal societies. It is irrational to charge a party with becoming a focal point of activities against secularity when the same party exerted efforts to make the country a part of democratic and secular Europe," the ruling AKP said.

--BEST DOMINO'S PIZZA CHAIN IN TURKEY

Domino's Pizza Turkey was awarded the "Gold Franny" prize in 2008 for making the best pizza in the world. Domino's Pizza Turkey won the same award in 2007 too. Domino's Pizza stated that its Turkey branch was selected the best Domino's in the world for the second time in a row.

Domino's Pizza Turkey is the 10th biggest, with 86 branches, among all Domino's Pizzas in the world, with the exception of the United States.