GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON FEB 2

HURRIYET
-- GIVE HIM NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Further support for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's attitude towards Israeli President Shimon Peres during the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting came from Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi of Iran. Shirazi said Erdogan prevented a new war and contributed to peace. "If Nobel Prize authorities have a heart and courage, they present the Nobel Peace Prize to Erdogan," he also said.
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-- EVERY ONE NEEDS EACH OTHER IN A NEIGHBORHOOD
Commenting on what happened during the WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Turkey's Ambassador to Israel Namik Tan said that Turkey and Israel were two important countries in the region. Tan said, "Every one needs each other in this neighborhood. Israel will continue attaching the same importance to Turkey. And so will Turkey."
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-- FRANCE LOCATED HELICOPTER WRECKAGE IN BOLU
An ambulance helicopter that was chartered from Poland crashed near the northwestern province of Bolu on Saturday night. Search and rescue efforts could not be carried out that day due to heavy snowfall and fog, but they were launched on Sunday. The Civil Aviation Authority said that it got a signal from the ELT (emergency locator transmitter) device on the helicopter, and Turkey contacted a center in France which was receiving the signals and asked for the exact location. The DAK teams of the General Staff were taken to the area by helicopters but found the bodies of Polish pilot Andrzej Wojewodzki and retired Turkish pilot Suleyman Kiyak.
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MILLIYET
-- WE WANT EQUALITY, NOT TOLERANCE
Silvyo Ovadya, the leader of the Jewish community in Turkey, said in an interview with Milliyet daily that they wanted equality and democracy, not tolerance. "I introduce myself as a Turk everywhere in the world. Today, I do not ask for tolerance. If this is my country, why should anybody tolerate me?" he said. Ovadya also complained, "Anyone can criticize Israel's policy. But beginning of every speech with remarks against Israel may turn into a condemnation against Jews."
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-- "IT WAS UNJUST"
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that the attitude Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan faced during the panel discussion in Davos, Switzerland was not fair. "His reaction was natural. But it should not be made a tool for domestic politics, and it should not be allowed to trigger anti-Semitism," Baykal warned.
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SABAH
-- BAYKAL EXTENDS SUPPORT TOO
After Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, also Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal extended support to Premier Tayyip Erdogan's stance in Davos. "They've been unfair to Erdogan in that panel meeting. Unjust acts like these always offend us. It is natural to show reaction against such acts," said Baykal. He asked the government not to exploit this issue in domestic politics.
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-- FROZEN IMPELLER CAUSES HELICOPTER TO CRASH
Ice frost crystals caused a Health Ministry ambulance helicopter to crash. The final words of the two pilots, one of whom was Polish and the other was Turkish, have been, "There is frost in the clouds, we are ascending to 10,000 feet." Sudden ice accretion caused the impeller of the helicopter to freeze and it crashed within minutes. Rescue teams which reached the wreckage 19 hours after the crash, the frozen bodies of the two pilots were taken by air ambulance to Ankara.

VATAN
-- STRANGE TENDER FOR CRASHED HELICOPTER
It was revealed that the Ministry of Health had leased the ambulance helicopter, which crashed on Saturday evening, for 8 million euro. The real value of the helicopter was set as 4 million euro. The Eurocopter 135 was on its way from Poland to be delivered to the Turkish Ministry of Health in Ankara when it crashed in the northwestern province of Bolu. Its two pilots died in the crash.
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-- ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS TO APOLOGIZE
Armenian intellectuals are preparing to launch an apology after Turkish intellectuals issued an online apology for the events of 1915. The Armenian diaspora prepared a draft text for the campaign which says, "I apologize for the murders committed on behalf of the Armenian people. I commiserate with Ottoman and Turkish people who suffered because of those murders."
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CUMHURIYET
-- HELICOPTER WRECKAGE FOUND
The wreckage of the helicopter which crashed Saturday night was found along with the bodies of the two pilots. The last radio contact with the helicopter was on 4:41 p.m. on Saturday, as contact was lost at an altitude of 8,200 feet. The helicopter crashed in the mountainous area between Koroglu hill and Sariobabasi village.
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-- FIGHT OVER HAMAS
Premier Tayyip Erdogan told Newsweek that it would be very wrong to exclude Hamas in talks between Israel and Palestine. Erdogan, who underlined that Hamas was not a branch of Iran, said, "I'm not saying Hamas did not make mistakes. I am commenting on the overall picture." Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said they expected Turkey to respect Israel despite demonstrations and violent scenes that were aired about Gaza. Livni said that everything could be mended, and the common interests as well as differences of opinion should be taken into account.
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RADIKAL
-- DIPLOMATIC MISTAKE, POLITICAL GAIN
A prominent political psychologist commented on Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's move in Davos, Switzerland. According to Professor Vamik Volkan, Erdogan's diplomatic reaction in Davos was "very bad" but it was good for him and his party ahead of the local elections. "And he also made the Arabs win," the professor also said.
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-- ERDOGAN TELLS ABOUT LEGITIMATION OF HAMAS TO WORLD
Speaking to the Newsweek magazine, Premier Tayyip Erdogan said that Hamas joined the elections in Palestine as a political party. The international press is still interested in Erdogan's reaction in Davos, Switzerland. Interviewing with the Newsweek, Erdogan maintained his positive approach to Hamas, and said, "Hamas is not an arm of Iran and it joined the elections as a political party. We are not respecting (what is coming out of) the ballot boxes. Answering a question, Erdogan expressed his uneasiness over anti-Semitism. "I am uneasy about the Israeli government because they are behaving unjustly," he said.

YENI SAFAK
-- ONE MINUTE, A SHARP CURVE
Those who underestimated Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's distinctive reaction in Davos, have changed their manner after seeing people's great support to the prime minister. Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal spoke three days later. Erdogan also received international support. While Spain said that the murderers should be tried, Tony Blair, former prime minister of Britain, proposed to sit at negotiation table with Hamas.
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-- A SACK FULL OF WEAPONS
Seven handguns and ammunition have been found in a taxi in the northern province of Rize. Nine people including two non-commissioned officers and a senior sergeant were detained.