GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAR 06

HURRIYET
-- BALBAY UNDER ERGENEKON INTERROGATION AGAIN AFTER 8 MONTHS
Journalist Mustafa Balbay was taken from his home in the capital Ankara by counter-terrorism teams to the office of Prosecutor Zekeriya Oz in Istanbul for the second time in eight months. Nermin Aydin, the owner of a website, "Toplumsal Haber (Social News)", was also taken into custody again. Balbay and Aydin, who were questioned late into the night, later appeared before an out of session court where the prosecutor demanded their arrest.
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-- DISTRIBUTION OVER, TWO INSPECTORS IN TUNCELI
Upon a statement from the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK), the" Interior Ministry assigned two inspectors to examine the distribution of household appliances by the Governor's Office of the southeastern province of Tunceli (prior to the local elections). According to the report to be prepared by the inspectors in two weeks, Governor Mustafa Yaman will either be removed from office or carry on with his current post.
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MILLIYET
-- TURKEY HAS SIMILAR VIEW WITH ARABS IN REGARD TO AL-BASHIR
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said that they were concerned over the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Babacan said Turkey's view on the matter was similar to the views of the Africa and Arab League which were against the decision.
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-- U.S. DOLLAR OVER 1.76 TL
The U.S. dollar exceeded 1.76 TL on Thursday after General Motors made a statement that it could file for bankruptcy. The Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) index also dropped 3.78 percent.
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SABAH
-- FIRST POLITICAL CONTACT AFTER DAVOS
The first political contact between Turkey and Israel took place in Brussels after a row between Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Shimon Peres during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan held a surprising meeting with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni.
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-- SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS TO INVESTIGATE
The Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against Governor Mustafa Yaman of the eastern province of Tunceli after the Higher Electoral Board took action about handouts given to the poor prior to the local elections. Earlier, the board had warned local administrations against giving handouts to the poor to win votes in the upcoming bi-elections.

VATAN
-- 139,000 PEOPLE COULDN'T PAY THEIR DEBTS
The Turkish Central Bank announced the number of people who could have failed to pay individual loan debts and credit card debts in January, with 56,273 unable to pay individual loan debts and 82,714 failing to pay credit card debts.
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-- DECLINE IN IMKB
The United States’ biggest auto maker, General Motors, released a statement warning that it could go bust unless it finds additional financial sources. This statement caused a massive fluctuation in the markets. The Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) index dropped by 3.78 percent and closed at 23,035.95 points on Thursday.
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CUMHURIYET
-- INSPECTORS FOR TUNCELI
The Interior Ministry has started an inquiry against the governor of the southeastern province of Tunceli after a political party's banners were found in a building belonging to the special provincial administration of the city. Interior Minister Besir Atalay assigned two inspectors to examine the distribution of durable goods in Tunceli after the Supreme Board of Elections' (YSK) decision regarding the city's Governor Mustafa Yaman.
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-- CYPRUS WANTS TWO SEPARATE STATES
According to a survey conducted by research institution KADEM on behalf of Turkish Cypriot daily "Kibris", the number of people supporting a federal solution in Cyprus dropped to 27.9 percent. Upon a question on "what their votes would be if the 2004 referendum was held again", 53.8 percent of Turkish Cypriots said that they would respond "no".
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RADIKAL
-- TURKISH MILITARY TO HELP IRAQ REBUILD ITS ARMY
Iraq and Turkey are planning to sign an agreement for assistance by the Turkish Armed Forces to re-structure the Iraqi military, wrote Murat Yetkin, a columnist with the daily Radikal. The two countries agreed on the planned deal at a Baghdad visit by Turkish deputy chief of military staff on March 4. It was not clear whether the agreement could be signed during President Abdullah Gul's prospective visit to Iraq.
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-- U.S. CURRENCY AT HIGHEST AGAINST TURKISH LIRA SINCE 2003
The U.S. dollar was up against Turkish lira on Thursday, making a peak to stand at 1.751, the highest level reached since 2003. Turkey's main shares index, the Istanbul Stock Exchange, dropped 3.78 percent, following suit with major European stocks after U.S. automotive giant General Motors said it might go bankrupt if it did not receive substantial aid from the government.

YENI SAFAK
-- CONTROL TOWER NEGLIGENCE IN TURKISH AIRLINER CRASH
It was revealed that head of a Dutch investigation team, which has been looking into a Turkish airliner crash in Amsterdam, had tried to cover up the negligence of the control tower at the Schiphol Airport. The cockpit voice recorder of the crashed Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 revealed that the control tower saw on the radar screens that the plane had lost altitude but it failed to issue a warning to the pilots. Investigation team chief Pieter Van Vollenhoven has said a faulty altimeter had caused the plane to rapidly lose altitude.
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-- VODAFONE TURKEY SACKS 260 EMPLOYEES
British mobile phone operator Vodafone said it had laid off 260 employees in Turkey as part of "an organizational overhaul". The company also said 280 job positions had closed. Vodafone lost 400, subscribers due to tough competition with its rivals in a mobile phone number portability race. Vodafone's Turkey CEO has recently said the company would invest $1.3 billion in infrastructure in 2009.