ANKARA - Prime Ministry Press Adviser Cem Avci said on Saturday that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit did not remove State Minister Fikret Unlu from office, but accepted his resignation.
Earlier in the day, Avci had said that Prime Minister Ecevit called President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on the phone, and got his approval to remove Unlu from office and to appoint Erdogan Toprak, a deputy of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) from Istanbul, as the new State Minister for Sports.
UNLU: I WAS PLANNING TO RESIGN ON MONDAY, HOWEVER PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT WANTED ME TO RESIGN ON SATURDAY
Unlu said on Saturday, ''I was planning to resign from my post and from the Democratic Left Party (DSP) on Monday, however, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit wanted me to resign on Saturday.''
Responding questions of the A.A correspondent, Unlu said, ''Prime Minister Ecevit called me on the phone, and asked about news stories saying that I would join the Republican People's Party (CHP). I told him that I would attend award ceremony of the sportsmen on August 26, and submit my resignation later. However, he told me that I should resign immediately.''
''Upon this development, I submitted my resignation to the Prime Ministry Office. Later, I was informed that a decree on my removal from office was sent to the Cankaya Presidential Palace,'' he said.
Unlu added that he would take a decision on his political career, and that he wanted to join the CHP.
TOPRAK APPOINTED AS STATE MINISTER
Ismail Toprak, a deputy of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) from Istanbul, was appointed as the new State Minister for Youth and Sports after resignation of Fikret Unlu.
Appointment of Toprak was published in the Official Gazette on Sunday.