ANKARA
The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
Turkish dailies mainly covered on Tuesday the start of hearings regarding the “February 28th case” – a trial on an overthrow of a democratically elected government in 1997 and the global developments on a possible Western-led pre-emptive military action on Syria.
Daily HURRIYET says that the lawyer of former chief of general staff retired general Ismail Hakki Karadayi said in the first hearing of the case regarding the army overthrow of Turkey’s Refah-Yol government (a coalition that governed Turkey between now-closed Welfare Party and True Path Party between 28 June 1996 and 30 June 1997) that Karadayi was the chief of general staff in the period his defendant is accused for, thus he has to be tried at a Court Marshall because of the attached crime of duty. The daily also says that the lead judge of the case Judge Tayyar Koksal stated at the first hearing that the minutes of the National Security Council meeting that initiated the ouster in 1997 were not submitted to the court by the National Security Council General Secretariat because the minutes are treated as state secrets.
SABAH says under its headline “Contest of Pressure” that a great pressure is applied on Western decision makers to retaliate the chemical weapon attack that killed more than 1000 civilians including women and children in Damascus, Syria last week. It says that US President Barack Obama now tries to corner congress members one by one to convince them for a Syria strike and in the UK, pressure is building up on Prime Minister David Cameron and the House of Commons for a second voting on a possible military action against Syria. French President Francois Hollande also accelerated his efforts to get a green light from French MPs as the Arab League and NATO both called on the international community to react against Syrian regime’s deadly attack, the daily says on the front page.
SABAH also covers the news on return of Turkish troops from Lebanon and Turkish Head Consul Ozturk Yilmaz and other consulate officials cheated death when a roadside bomb in Mosul, northern Iraq targeted their convoy by a narrow margin.
Also covering a possible military action on Syria, MILLIYET quoted Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc as saying that if there would be a punishment against Assad regime, it would be done by the US. The daily also quoted NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to have said that the alliance would keep protecting Turkey’s southern borders and that if an attack takes place on Turkey, the alliance will take it as if it is done against all members.
As many of the Turkish dailies, TURKIYE on the front page talks about a speed limit alteration in cities. The daily says speed limit will be 90 in the cities, instead of 70, in a bid to tackle traffic problems in big towns where schools are about to open.
HURRIYET covers on its front page a special story of a 19-year-old Iraqi footballer, Ali Adnan, who signed a deal with Turkish Super League team Caykur Rizespor is bringing 11 members of his family from war-torn Baghdad for a better life. The daily says the young player asked for a large house that could accommodate 11 people from his immediate family.
HURRIYET says German international footballer Mesut Ozil signed a 5-year-long deal with England's Arsenal. The daily says Ozil of Turkish descent will earn 7 million Euros a year with Arsenal FC.
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