ISTANBUL
Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
The majority of Monday’s newspapers dedicated their front pages to a debate over holding a state funeral for Turkey’s 1980 coup leader Kenan Evren who died over the weekend.
Papers also focused on Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s visit to the Suleyman Shah tomb in Syria plus a world championship victory for Turkish women’s volleyball team Eczacibasi VitrA.
Evren died in hospital in Ankara aged 97 on Saturday. He was convicted last year of crimes against the state alongside fellow coup leader Tahsin Sahinkaya and sentenced to life imprisonment.
MILLIYET ran the headline: “Official ceremony will be at the General Staff,” referring to his funeral.
The paper said that the family did not think a ceremony at the Turkish parliament would be fit, citing Erkan Gurvit, son-in-law of Evren.
Gurvit, in an interview with the paper, explained that they took this decision as parliament is on holiday and deputies are out of Ankara because of the upcoming general election.
VATAN ran with the headline: “Family wanted it like this.”
The daily reported that Evren would be buried in a Turkish state cemetery in the capital Ankara upon the request of his three daughters, Nebahat, Semahat and Miray. The paper noted that the family did not want a ceremony in parliament.
“No condolences,” was HURRIYET’s main headline on its front page. It said that state officials had not released any messages of condolence to the family of Kenan Evren.
Instead, the daily wrote that there were Mothers’ Day messages and condolences for Turkish artist Zeki Alasya, who died on Friday, from Turkey’s presidency, prime ministry and political parties.
During the 1980 coup, Evren, then chief of the general staff, seized power amid widespread street violence between left- and right-wing activists.
A brutal crackdown on political opponents saw more than 650,000 people detained and at least 50 hanged. Nearly 300 died through torture or neglect in prison.
Evren was elected president in 1982, a post he held for seven years.
Turkish PM Davutoglu’s visit to the Suleyman Shah tomb, just across the Syrian border, was another news item that many newspapers focused on.
Suleyman Shah was the grandfather of Osman I, who founded the Ottoman Empire in the late 13th century. His tomb is considered Turkish territory under the 1921 Treaty of Ankara between Turkey and France, which then controlled Syria.
STAR’s headline read: “Suleyman Shah embrace.” The Turkish PM presented a plaque to a soldier who took part in a February operation to relocate the tomb and embraced him.
On February 22, hundreds of Turkish troops staged an operation to move the tomb from its previous site 37 kilometers (23 miles) inside Syria after fears the site and the Turkish troops guarding the grave could be threatened by Daesh militants.
The remains now lie in Eshme, 200 meters (650 feet) south of the Turkish border.
MILLIYET described the visit as a surprise one. It reported that the prime minister was travelling in a convoy of armored vehicles with Hulusi Akar, commander of Turkish Land Forces.
In sports news, newspapers reported on Turkish women’s volleyball team Eczacibasi VitrA’s which, on Sunday, beat Russian side Dinamo Krasnodar 3-1 to win the final game of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship in Zurich.
HABERTURK’s headline read: “Eczacibasi is world champion,” while VATAN called the team the “eighth wonder of the world” on its front page, running a photo of the side with a trophy.
HURRIYET ran with a headline: “Eczacibasi writes history.”
This was Eczacibasi VitrA's maiden title win; they recovered from a third set loss (24-26) to beat Dinamo Krasnodar, winning 3-1 (25-16, 25-21, 24-26, 25-19).
In economic news, DUNYA headlined: “Our driving power is export,” referring to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan’s remarks.
Babacan spoke at the Stars of Exports –Exports Encouragement Awards ceremony in Istanbul on Friday. The Turkish economy is making healthy progress, he said, adding that there is still healthy investment, production and growth.
