ANKARA - Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said on Monday that they planned to make a radical reform for a parliament appropriate for Turkey which was walking towards European Union (EU) membership.
Arinc held a press conference to announce reforms to be made in parliament as a part of EU adjustment works.
''Turkey has reached the most critical point of westernization efforts that have continued for the last two centuries. The parliament has taken very important steps in EU process by making the strongest reforms of the last 40 years. Therefore, the parliament adopted historic laws for a democratic Turkey one after the other. Now, efforts will be launched to put into practice these laws,'' Arinc said.
Arinc went on saying, ''the year 2004 has a vital importance for Turkey. We believe that we will get a date for EU full membership negotiations at the end of 2004. Therefore, everybody, particularly the government, undertakes duties. The parliament, the most important institution of the country, undertakes a responsibility to be the locomotive of this process as it can't remain outside EU adjustment process.''
''We aim to make a change in mentality and radical reforms in many fields in order to fulfil our responsibility,'' Arinc said.
Arinc pointed out that they planned to make a radical reform for a parliament appropriate for Turkey which was walking towards EU membership. Stating that they would preserve traditions of the parliament when making those reforms, Arinc said that they would overcome some administrative problems.
They wanted to re-discuss and strengthen esteem, image and place of parliament in politics, Arinc emphasized.
Arinc said, ''we will give the final shape to our initiatives at the end of our talks with the government, parliament, non-governmental organizations, bureaucrats and intellectuals. We will ask the question 'what kind of a parliament people want in a Turkey which will join the EU' to everybody who is the owner of the parliament.''
They would hold the first of such meeting with former parliament speakers, Arinc added.
(BRC-AY) 13.10.2003