TURKIYE
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     BIG DETENTION IN BALYOZ
     Operations were conducted in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Kocaeli, Hatay and Diyarbakir provinces yesterday within the scope of the investigation into "Balyoz military coup plan". 49 soldiers including two former commanders of forces were detained. 17 retired generals, four active admirals, 27 commissioned officers and one non-commissioned officer are in Istanbul for interrogation.
    
     GEN. BASBUG DELAYS HIS VISIT TO EGYPT
     After detention of retired commanders, Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug postponed his scheduled visit to Egypt. Due to detained commanders as well as the searches which were made within the scope of the "Balyoz military coup plan" allegations, he delayed his visit which was planned to begin today and last for three days.
    
     ZAMAN
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     GENERALS UNDER CUSTODY IN PROBE ON ALLEGED COUP PLOT
     Seventeen former generals, 4 admirals on active duty, and 27 officers and a non-commissioned officer were taken under custody in a probe of an alleged coup plan back in 2003 that included sensational plots such as bombing of mosques and shooting down Turkey's own fighter jets. Turkey's leading science and technology agency TUBITAK, and police forensic experts have examined the documents of the coup plan, "the Sledgehammer", and approved that they are authentic.
    
     ERDOGAN SAYS GOVT. WOULD SUBMIT JUDICIAL REFORM TO REFERENDUM
     "All civil society organizations and our people expect a judicial reform and I believe a referendum would bring about a result that would meet expectations," Erdogan said when commenting on the Turkish government's plan to amend the constitution for a reform in the country's judicial system. Erdogan said he considered a call made by the European Parliament for a comprehensive judicial overhaul in Turkey "very meaningful."
    
     YENI SAFAK
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     HAMMER DOWN
     When the Police Department Criminal Laboratory assessed that the pile of documents related with the alleged "Sledge hammer", coup plan was indeed real, the court pressed the button for the operation. Simultaneous operations were launched in 9 cities to prevent spoil of evidence.
     Former 1st Army Commander Gen. Cetin Dogan, Former Air Forces Commander Ibrahim Firtina and Former Naval Forces Commander Ozden Ornek, who have allegedly taken part in the preparation of chaos plans named "Veil," "Beard," "Thunder," and "Belay" were taken into custody.
     Former Commander of the 1st Army Ergin Saygun, and Ret. Gen. Engin Alan-- who master-minded the operation in Kenya during which head of the terrorist organization PKK was caught-- Ret. Gen. Ayhan Tas and Ret. Gen. Suha Tanyeli were taken into custody in the "Balyoz wave".
    
     JUDICIARY SUMMIT IN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
     President Abdullah Gul stepped in for the judiciary crisis which began when the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors stripped off the Erzurum prosecutors of their powers. President Gul will separately receive Supreme Court President Hasan Gerceker and Council of State President Mustafa Birden today.
 

HURRIYET
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     MASSIVE CLAMP DOWN ON SUSPECTS IN ALLEGED COUP PLOT
     Prosecutors in the Ergenekon probe launched a comprehensive operation in Ankara and Istanbul over an alleged coup plot, which publicly came to be known as "the Sledgehammer (Balyoz) Plan." Near 50 officers were taken under custody. Air Forces former commander gen. Ibrahim Firtina, Naval Forces former commander gen. Ozden Ornek, former deputy chief of General Staff gen. Ergin Saygun are among those in police custody. The detainees include officers currently on active duty. Suspects who were taken under custody in Ankara, were transported to Istanbul by plane. Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug's scheduled visit to Egypt was postponed for Wednesday, his office said hours after the news of custodies.
    
     "TURKEY IS CHANGING," ARINC
     State Minister and Deputy Premier Bulent Arinc commented on a recent clamp down on suspects in an alleged military coup plot that included retired force commanders and senior generals: "The times have changed. Things that we couldn't even dream of in the past are happening now. We are living in a different era now. Turkey is getting normalized."
    
     ELECTION POLLS IN CASE OF CLOSURE FILE: AK PARTY OFFICIAL
     Burhan Kuzu, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, has said in case a chief prosecutor submits a file for the second time to shut them down, the AK Party would immediately go on to early elections. "What if a case is filed? We will promptly hold (early) elections. It is not as if we would write a 800-page defense," Kuzu said.
    
     MILLIYET
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     FROM WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT TO DETENTION
     Gen. Ergin Saygun --who went to the U.S. together with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2007 and negotiated the agreements blowing PKK terrorist organization significantly-- is among the military officials who were detained as they attempted to overthrow the government. After serving as vice commander of land forces and second chief of general staff, Gen. Saygun became the 2nd Army commander in 2008. He accompanied Erdogan who met with U.S. former president George W. Bush on November 5, 2007. Gen. Saygun retired in August 2009. At White House, Gen. Saygun negotiated the memorandum of understanding on sharing of intelligence between Turkey and the U.S. in fight against PKK.
    
     SHOE THROWN AT ERDOGAN IN SPAIN
     Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was thrown a shoe while he was leaving the building of Seville municipality in Spain. The shoe missed Erdogan. The young assailant, who shouted as "long live Kurdistan", was drunk. He was neutralized by the bodyguards of Erdogan rapidly.
    
     SABAH
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     COUP HAMMERED DOWN
     45 soldiers, two of them generals, who are charged with attempting to overthrow the Justice and Development (AK) Party government, were taken into custody. When the police criminal laboratory and Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Council, confirmed that the "Sledge Hammer Security Action Plan" was original, the operation was launched.
     45 retired and serving soldiers whose names are mentioned in the Sledge Hammer were taken into custody. 4 admirals gave testimonies. Former Air Force commander Ibrahim Firtina was taken into custody in Ankara while Former Naval Forces commander Ozden Ornek was taken into custody in Istanbul.
     Residences of all generals who served as commander of the 1st Army, were searched. The sledge hammer plan allegedly aimed at overthrowing the AK Party government by creating chaos in the country.
    
     ERDOGAN SAYS REFERENDUM
     Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is visiting Spain commented on the judicial reform which came onto agenda once again with the constitutional crisis. "Whether or not opposition parties support it, we will bring the judicial reform to the parliament. If we get enough votes to carry it to referendum, we will carry the issue to our people," said Erdogan.

VATAN
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     COMMANDERS "HAMMERED" IN PROBE OVER ALLEGED COUP PLOT
     Commissioned officers and former force commanders who are suspected of being involved in a military coup plot, were all taken under custody. The alleged coup plot, which is publicly known as "the Sledgehammer" was reportedly put together in 2003 under the First Army command. Forty-nine military officers were taken under custody including former air forces commander ret. gen. Ibrahim Firtina, former naval forces commander ret. gen. Ozden Ornek, and two former commanders of the First Army, Cetin Dogan and Ergin Saygun, who has served as deputy chief of general staff. Police also detained four admirals who are on active duty and 28 senior officers.
    
     PREMIER THROWN SHOE IN SPAIN
     A man hurled his footwear at Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he was leaving a meeting hall in Madrid, Spain, where he received an award for inter-cultural dialogue. The man, who shouted "long live Kurdistan", missed his target as he was briefly jumped by Erdogan's bodyguards. The 21-year-old man was reportedly of Syrian descent.
    
     CUMHURIYET
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     GENERALS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
     The police arrested a large number of soldiers under orders given by prosecutors carrying out the sledge hammer probe, once the Police Criminal Laboratories finished examining the documents.
     50 soldiers including former force commanders Ibrahim Firtina and Ozden Ornek and four serving admirals were taken into custody in connection with the alleged "Sledge Hammer Coup plan."
     Retired Gen. Engin Alan who master-minded the operation which caught head of the terrorist organization PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, was also among the detained soldiers. The detained were taken to Anti-Terror department of the Istanbul Police.
     The police seized a large pile of documents during the raid into the residences and offices of the detained. One of the suspect soldiers was abroad on duty. A group of citizens protested during the raid into the Turkish Armed Forces Mehmetcik Foundation.
    
     LACK OF JURISDICTION
     The criminal file on Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor Ilhan Cihaner -- who was arrested under the Ergenekon probe when he was prosecuting religious congregations-- was returned to the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's office, due to lack of jurisdiction. If Erzurum Prosecutor's office says it has jurisdiction, the investigation will continue there. Cihaner's lawyers say the file should be sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals.
    
     RADIKAL
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     THIS IS PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S 'BALYOZ' (SLEDGEHAMMER)
     Turkey woke up with the new wave of Ergenekon at 5:00 a.m. Houses and business places which belong to soldiers were raided in nine different provinces within the scope of "Balyoz (Sledgehammer) Operation Plan". A total of 49 people were detained.
    
     GEN. BASBUG POSTPONES HIS TRIP TO EGYPT
     Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug changed his schedule due to investigation which is being carried out against retired or active soldiers in nine provinces within the scope of 'Balyoz' Plan and with directives of the public prosecutors of Ergenekon. Gen. Basbug postponed his trip to Egypt which was planned to begin today.
    
     NONE OF COUNTRIES WAITED 50 YEARS FOR EU
     Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the EU in Spain: "there is no country which was kept waiting for 50 years at the door of EU. Turkey is more developed than many of the EU members. Turkey is coming to carry the burden, not to become a burden to the EU."
 

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