Justice Minister: Constitution Should Be Amended

ANKARA - Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said on Tuesday that the Constitution should be amended.
Noting that constitutional amendment was not an arithmetic issue, Cicek stressed that social compromise was necessary for keeping the constitutions in force.
Addressing the opening of the International Law Congress held by Ankara Bar in Bilkent Hotel, Cicek said that there were certain shortcomings in laws and in practice regarding the EU Process.
''The first shortcoming stems from the Constitution. I would like to stress the importance of discussing the Constitution in an integrity, not in parts. Constitutional amendment is not an arithmetic issue. Even if my party had 467 deputies rather than 367 deputies in the parliament to amend the Constitution, this issue is basically an issue of compromise. But in my view, the Constitution should be amended,'' he said.
Cicek stressed that the government tried to reach EU standards while preparing and adopting the laws, but those laws were sometimes against the Constitution which put the government into a difficult situation.
(Öª-AÖ) 06.01.2004