ANKARA - Turkish parliament will convene in an extraordinary session tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss a censure motion tabled against Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim.
Republican People's Party (CHP) tabled the censure motion on charges that he was responsible for the train derailment near Pamukova town of northwestern province of Sakarya on July 22, killing 38 people and injuring 80 others.
The session will open at 3 p.m. and will go on if at least 184 parliamentarians attend the session. In this case, a vote will be held on the fate of the censure motion. If the motion is rejected, the parliament's summer recess will resume. If a decision is taken to open a general debate on the censure motion, it then will be included in the working agenda (of the parliament) and a date for the debate will be set. Discussions on a motion is usually held between the 2nd and 7th day, after the initial vote.
Explanation paragraph of the censure motion stresses that both the scientists and NGOs expressed their concerns in their meetings with the officials of Transportation Ministry and Turkish State Railways (TCDD) regarding the high-speed train voyages, and argued for not to start those trips unless deficiencies in infrastructure are overcome.
It says scientists made necessary warnings many times, adding, ''despite all the warnings high-speed train journeys started on June 4, 2004.''
It says Justice and Development Party (AK Party) disregarded the warnings of the scientists and NGOs and started high-speed train service just by a political decision instead of feasibility reports based on scientific criteria.
Meanwhile, CHP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chairman Ali Topuz told a press conference in the parliament on Tuesday, ''I wish that Transportation Minister would resign until tomorrow's session. We can request for opening of a parliamentary investigation if our censure motion is rejected. We won't leave the Transportation Minister in peace until he resigns.''
(MS-ULG) 03.08.2004