ANKARA
Turkish Deputy PM Bulent Arinc said Wednesday that if the political parties agree on a constitutional ammendment concerning the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), the bill to amend the HSYK proposed to Parliament will automatically remain invalid.
Deputy PM Bulent Arinc spoke to journalists following the 5th Turkey Vietnam Joint Economy meeting held in Ankara.
"Neither is the process of amending the law on HSYK stopped nor the bill proposing the amendment is withdrawn, but negotiations with opposition parties are going on; the outcome of these negotiations will determine what to do with the bill " said Arinc.
Arinc also said that the negotiations seem to be finalized till the weekend and if the parties agreed on the consitutional amendment they would amend the constitution. Otherwise, ruling party would take the bill to a Parliamentary General Assembly session to be discussed and approved.
Turkey's ruling AK Party proposed a bill to amend the composition of Turkey's top judicial board which governs the affairs of judges and prosecutors last week, and the bill created a tension among the political parties. Turkish President Abdullah Gul in order to defuse the tension invited the party leaders on Monday to hear their views on the latest developments in amending the HSYK and related controversies. After meeting Gul, Turkish PM Erdogan said Tuesday that if the parties compromise on a constitutional amendment, they would withdraw the bill.
- Accusing IHH of having Al-Qaeda ties completely wrong: Arinc -
It is completely wrong to accuse Turkish relief agency IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi) of having engaged in any Al-Qaeda related activity or acting together with them," said Arinc.
Police raided the agency's office in Kilis, a city in the southeast Turkey near the Syrian border, and detained one person on Tuesday as part of simultaneous operations against the Al-Qaeda in six provinces; Istanbul, Van, Kilis, Adana, Gaziantep and Kayseri.
In response to a question about the raid on Tuesday, Arinc said that IHH is a legal establishment which has never been engaged in any illegal activity "to the best of my knowledge", and has always pursued "humanitarian and peaceful goals."
Answering journalists' questions after attending Turkish-Vietnamese trade talks in Ankara, Arinc added, "whether it is Al-Qaeda or any other organization, Turkey has always fought against such establishments. ... If an investigation is to be launched on the basis of the information and documents in hand, this, without a doubt, must be made in a lawful manner," Arinc said.
IHH was the main supporter of the 2010 aid flotilla, (one of the ships was called Mavi Marmara) which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza under Israeli blockade.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
