TURKEY: Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan seeks resolution of presidency row

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday (July 23, 2007), one day after his party's landslide re-election victory, that he believed controversy over Turkey's presidential contest could be resolved without tension. "After the establishment of the Parliament, God willing we hope to try to take steps which will be beneficial for our country, Turkish democracy and the public," Erdogan told a news conference. "Together we will take the steps in peace," said Erdogan. Erdogan also said he would discuss with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who was deeply disappointed at failing to secure the post of president earlier this year, whether he would remain the party's candidate. "With no doubts the will and the thoughts of Mr. Abdullah Gul are really important to me. We will consider those issues between us and we will resolve this matter without causing tension," he said. The AK Party's choice of Gul as its candidate in April plunged Turkey into crisis after the powerful secular elite, including army generals, objected to his Islamist past. Erdogan defused that crisis by calling an early parliamentary election. Erdogan must tread gingerly between supporters who hope his victory means fewer religious restrictions in public life, such as a ban on headscarves at university, and army generals. The AK Party, which likes to compare itself with Germany's Christian Democrats, is expected to move more to the centre of Turkish politics after more liberal-minded members won seats. Two other, secularist, parties made it into parliament -- the nationalist Republican People's Party (CHP) with 112 seats and the far-right National Movement Party (MHP) with 71. Ends

ITN Source | July 24, 2007

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