TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON DEC 14

GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON DEC 14

These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in the Turkish press on Dec. 14, 2008. Hurriyet Daily News Online does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. HURRIYET --SIMSEK: WE ARE NOT ROMANTIC OPTIMISTIC State Minister for Economy Mehmet Simsek, while addressing a meeting in Germany, said "we are not romantic optimistic. However, this crisis will be overcome in the end. Turkey has a solid ground. It will get out of the crisis strongly." --INFORMATION IS IN CHIP IN CLEVER IDENTITY CARD The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) equipped the clever identity card, which is planned to be used instead of identity cards starting as of 2010, with high security measures against risk of copying and fraud. Personal information of an individual is hidden in the chip of the identity card with private codes. MILLIYET --HEADSCARF QUESTIONING Republican People's Party (CHP) chairperson Deniz Baykal, who left his house in the Mediterranean province of Antalya to come back to capital Ankara, was stopped by a group of citizens, mostly women. Criticizing Baykal for his recent statements on the headscarf issue, citizens said that they felt uneasy as Baykal "legitimated the headscarf". Upon citizens' reaction, Baykal said, "Let us not separate Turkey and not defame the opposing parties. We need your understanding." --FRANCE "IGNORES" TURKEY France, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, did not invite Turkey to the meeting "on encouraging regional dialogue for the solution of the Afghanistan issue" held in Paris. Turkey was not happy with France's exclusionist attitude on a matter that concerns itself as well. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will attend a "working dinner" to be held on the issue in Paris on Sunday. SABAH --DREAM OF DINK COMES TRUE Turkish, Armenian and Kurdish melodies were altogether in the concert of Kardes Turkuler and Sayad Nova music groups in Armenian capital Yerevan. Armenian spectators welcomed the Anatolian melodies saying, "we have missed our brothers". Hrant Dink, while speaking to Mehmed Uzun in 2006, said "Imagine. Turks, Kurds and Armenians are signing folk songs in Yerevan." --IMF AGREEMENT IS APPROPRIATE TO INTERESTS Replying to a question about Turkey's talks with the IMF, State Minister for Economy Mehmet Simsek said, "Turkey's talks with the IMF are normal. It is to meet the foreign exchange need of the private sector and because we are also one of the 185 countries that is a member of the IMF. We will make a program with the IMF if necessary. We consider this appropriate to Turkey's interests." VATAN --TUNCAY IN BRITISH PRESS Turkish footballer Tuncay Sanli is on the agenda of the British press after it was revealed that British soccer team Chelsea would offer 8 million pounds to transfer him. Commenting on the news of such issue, his current team Middlesbrough's manager Gareth Southgate said that they would demand at least 16million pounds for the Turkish footballer's transfer. Britain's well-known newspapers Daily Mail and The Times also had interviews with Tuncay. --SMART CARD INSTEAD OF IDENTITY CARD Officials said that the smart cards that would replace the current identity cards would be in circulation from 2010. The smart cards, which are being used in the pilot region of the northwestern Bolu province since September, would also be used instead of driving licenses, passports, social security cards and during e-state and tax procedures. CUMHURIYET --GUL TO STAY IN IRAQ FOR ONE NIGHT President Abdullah Gul, who will meet Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad within the framework of his visit to Iraq, will also travel to Kirkuk on the same day. Gul will stay in Iraq for one night; however, officials did not give any information regarding the city he would stay in. --TURKEY BECOMES HOPE FOR MIGRANTS Nearly 750,000 illegal migrants crossed illegally into Turkey during the last 13 years. Most of these people are seen as a cheap labor force. Officials said the number of applications for asylum was on the rise as well. RADIKAL ---PARADISE FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS According to a report of Certified Public Accountants in Istanbul, 746,492 illegal migrants were arrested in Turkey in the past 13 years. The number of illegal migrants staying in Turkey is between 400,000 and 2 million people. --INJURED IRAQIS BROUGHT TO TURKEY President Abdullah Gul enabled 13 people, who were injured in a suicide bomb attack in Kirkuk, to come to Ankara for treatment. President Gul sent a message to Iraq President Jalal Talabani immediately after the attack and expressed Turkey's readiness to extend any kind of help for treatment of those injured. A fully equipped ambulance plane belonging to Turkish Air Forces left for Kirkuk upon the request of Iraqi executives and brought Iraqi citizens to Ankara. YENI SAFAK --HERE IS THE NEW IDENTITY CARD The new "smart" identity cards, developed by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), will be distributed nationally as of 2010. It will not be possible to copy the new identity cards thanks to coding technology. Information on the card and in the chip can not be copied. --IMF PROGRAM NECESSARY FOR FOREIGN EXCHANGE NEED OF PRIVATE SECTOR Turkish State Minister Mehmet Simsek said agreement with IMF was in the benefit of Turkey and noted that a program could be prepared with the IMF to meet the foreign exchange need of the private sector.Hurriyet