ANKARA - Turkish Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said Thursday "a constitution-maker parliament" should be established for preparation of a brand new constitution and that parliament could comprise 150 people.
Appearing on a TV program on state-run TRT, Toptan replied to questions on several matters.
"A parliament which deals with preparation of new constitution can also include representatives from NGOs, public institutions and universities. I made this proposal, but it did not attract much attention," Toptan said when responding to a question.
"Justice and Development (AK) Party has worked hard in regard to the constitutional amendment and several NGOs also made proposals. The process should be launched as soon as possible," he stated.
Answering a question on the cross-border operation conducted by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the north of Iraq, Toptan said the parliament had a full confidence in TSK in regard to fight against terrorism.
"The operation was carried out fastidiously. Territories of the north of Iraq are not among the objectives of TSK," Toptan said.
The United States assumed a wrong attitude by making statement as if TSK had withdrawn from the north of Iraq upon the demand by the USA, he stated. U.S. authorities knew about the withdrawal and Turkish troops actually started to pull out a day before the U.S. statements, Toptan said.
Toptan pointed out the importance of economic development in fight against terrorism, and said everybody agreed that fight against terrorism cannot be pursued only by efforts of soldiers and police.
Regarding the reactions about the ending of cross-border operation of TSK in the north of Iraq, Toptan recalled the statement of General Staff which said TSK reached the targets thus, it withdrew.
Toptan said Turkey used its rights stemming from international laws, and support of the whole world including the United States for Turkey in this issue was very important.
Toptan said terrorism does not end even if economic and social measures are taken, but it can be minimized. He expressed hope that Turkey would minimize terrorism in the next period.
Regarding Iraqi President Jalal Talabani`s visit to Ankara, Toptan said they would tell him about the determination of Turkey regarding fight against terrorism.
Toptan said Turkey, from the very beginning, supported protection of Iraq`s territorial integrity, and fragmentation of Iraq could cause a larger instability in the region.
Toptan noted, "I certainly don`t believe that the United States would accept fragmentation of Iraq. This would not contribute to Middle East policies of the United States."
Regarding Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Toptan said the article should be amended and removed from Turkey`s agenda. He added that everybody wanted an amendment to Article 301 but nobody had presented a concrete proposal so far.
(EÖ-GC-MS)