Turkish dailies covered Wednesday Turkish prime minister's statements over Monday's protest outside a courthouse in Istanbul that hears a trial over an alleged coup plot, Real Madrid's defeat at the hands of their Turkish rivals Galatasaray, Turkish foreign minister's remarks over for a Syria-based Kurdish armed group, and a concert given by children who had previously participated in protests in support of the terrorist PKK organization.
ANKARA
The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
All of the Turkish dailies covered the defeat of Spain's Real Madrid on Tuesday 3-2 against Galatasaray in the second leg of an UEFA Champions League quarter-final game. The win, however, failed to push Galatasaray to the semifinals as the Istanbul powerhouse lost 5-3 on aggregate. "Lion roared at Real but did not have enough power for the semi-final," daily ZAMAN headlined.
-Turkish prime minister's statements over Istanbul courthouse protest-
All dailies covered remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who harshly criticized Turkey's main opposition party for a demonstration on Monday where thousands of protestors gathered outside a courthouse in Istanbul that hears a trial over the Ergenekon case, an alleged coup plot aiming to overthrow Erdogan's government. Erdogan blamed the Republican People's Party (CHP) of "provocation" and "turning the courthouse into a battlefield." Police fired water cannons and sprayed tear gas on the protestors who tried to storm the Silivri courthouse. The demonstration forced judges to postpone Monday's proceedings, the first hearing since prosecutors demanded last month life sentences for dozens of Ergenekon suspects. "Showdown over immunities" headlined daily MILLIYET, quoting Erdogan as saying that the prosecutors will move to probe CHP lawmakers who participated in the courthouse protest.
-Turkish foreign minister sets three conditions for "talks with Syria-based Kurdish group"-
"Three conditions for PYD" daily YENI SAFAK headlined, saying that Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had laid down three conditions for PYD -- a Kurdish armed group based in Syria which allegedly had links with terrorist organization PKK. The daily said, "PYD which used to cooperate with Assad now wants to negotiate [with Turkey]. There are signals that PYD could be taken as an interlocutor in Syria with the following conditions: 1-Quit support for the Assad regime. 2-Avoid making any territorial claim or any unilateral de facto autonomy before a Syrian national assembly convenes. 3-Avoid supporting any terrorist aggression against Turkey."
-Children give concert in support of solution process-
As part of events to mark anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish police force, children, who had participated in demonstrations in the past to support the terrorist PKK organization, gave a concert in the southern province of Adana, daily ZAMAN reported. "Hands that have thrown stones now hold microphones" the daily headlined, adding that the children were exploited by the terrorist group and they were forced to take part in unpermitted demonstrations. "Children who threw stones at the police officers now support the solution process on Kurdish issue with their songs," ZAMAN said. Daily SABAH said the 95 children, who volunteered for the project of the Adana police department, were trained to sing in Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic and Armenian.
