KIRIKKALE - Suleyman Demirel, ninth president of the Republic of Turkey, turned 80 today.
Delivering a speech in a ceremony held at Kirikkale University to celebrate his 80th birthday, Demirel said, ''I have dedicated a long part of my life to 'Big Turkey' ideal. And I do not regret to spend my life for this ideal.''
''80 years are an important age in Turkey's standards. When we started this path (politics), Turkish Republic was 37 years old. We have never give up our passion (of Turkey),'' noted Demirel.
''Today, there is a self-sufficient Turkey which stands on its feet,'' he added.
Officials from Kazakhstan, Vatican and Azerbaijan Embassies, several former ministers and deputies, Kirikkale Governor Mustafa Bahrettin Demirer and academicians attended the ceremony.
Demirel was born in 1924 in Islamkoy village of southern city of Isparta within a peasant family. He graduated from the Technical University of Istanbul as an engineer. Following the general elections on October 27th, 1965, Demirel became the youngest ever prime minister in Turkey's history. Demirel and his Justice Party (JP) won the following elections, and he continued as prime minister. In March 1971, he was forced to resign by the military commanders, who were dissatisfied with his low profile stand in combating terrorism then raging in the country. Four years later, JP and a coalition of small parties unified under the name of 'Nationalist Front' won the general elections and Demirel returned to the politics again as prime minister. In June 1977, Demirel's government fell. One month later, he formed a new government. The government fell after just half a year in power. In November 1979, Demirel formed his 6th government. However, in September 1980, his government was again dissolved by the military. With a new Turkish constitution in 1982, Demirel was banned from politics for 10 years.
Following the defeat of the Motherland Party (ANAP) in the general elections, and the success of Demirel's True Path Party (DYP) in November 1991, he returned one more time to politics and formed his 7th government.
In May 1993, President Turgut Ozal died, and Demirel stepped down as prime minister in order to become the new president of the republic. In May 1996, Demirel escaped an assassination attempt by a militant Islamist. In December 1999, he launched an appeal to the parliament asking not to execute the death sentence passed on head terrorist Abdullah Ocalan.
As his term (allowed by the constitution) as president comes to an end, Demirel stepped down in May 2000. He was succeeded by the actual president Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
In December 2000, Demirel was appointed to the Mitchell Committee to investigate the wave of violence in the Middle East.
(GC-MS-ULG) 01.11.2004