ANKARA (A.A) - 05.08.2002 - Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said on Monday that Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) exhibiting an attitude accusing parliamentarians who supported European Union (EU) adjustment bill as ''traitors'' was noting but fanaticism, noting, ''will not this contradict with patriotism.''
Turk, who will leave his post as a requirement of the Constitution as Parliament decided to renew general elections, responded to the questions of reporters.
Turk said Prof. Aysel Celikel, who will be the Justice Minister after him, was a ''successful and valuable person.''
Turk said the attitude exhibited by the MHP while discussions were underway on EU adjustment bill was a very ungentlemanly behavior.
''I would like MHP to exert efforts to issue the bill,'' Turk said, noting that, ''MHP's attitude in accusing parliamentarians who supported the bill as 'traitors' was nothing but fanaticism. Won't this contradict with patriotism?''
Turk said with the bill adopted in the Parliament, those who were determined as ''minority'' in Lausanne Treaty, were given facilities to set up foundations and acquire real properties to meet their requirements, and recalled that facilities were also given to broadcast in traditional languages and dialects used by the citizens in Turkey and to open courses to learn those languages and dialects.
Turk said, ''language of the state and education language is still Turkish. They could broadcast in any language in the southeast by making use of technology. We have taken this under state control. It is legal now. There is no drawback in learning of the language and dialects used by everybody.''
Turk said National Education Ministry would carry out the regulation works pertaining to opening and inspection of special courses in different languages and dialects
Turk said, ''this law is extremely realistic. We have thought about the concerns of the MHP and we have prepared the law according to this.''
''I am sorry that MHP did not join these activities. This is the road of Turkey. This is a very important step in shedding a light in Copenhagen summit, and announcement of date of negotiations,'' Turk said, noting that Turkey should not miss EU membership.
Turk said MHP wanted to settle its elections strategy on a ''very cheap exploitation of feelings,'' and noted that, ''MHP makes propaganda saying 'they did not hang Apo, they give facilities to minorities, they allow education and broadcast in Kurdish.''
Turk said there were also files of 60 people waiting in the Parliament who were imprisoned under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) which sentenced Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, to death penalty.
He said, ''calling for death sentence for only one person among those 60 files contradicts with the principle of equality of the Constitution. You can not hang all those people in the contemporary world.''
When journalists recalled the criticisms of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit about Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Peoples' Democracy Party (HADEP), Turk said there were allegations about those two parties, and that there were cases opened against them. He said, ''in case those to parties continue their attitude, they may create difficulty in regime.''