ANKARA - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Abdullah Gul who was designated by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to form the 58th government, said on Sunday, ''I will form the new government on Monday or on Tuesday. We should undertake official and de facto responsibility as soon as possible.''
Speaking at a live-programme on private CNN Turk TV Channel, Gul said, ''President Sezer and I held a very beneficial meeting. President Sezer put forward some recommendations. He told me that Turkey has been experiencing a transition period, and stressed that this period should be assessed in the best way.''
When asked whether or not we would take over the government on Monday, Gul said, ''we do not want to waste time now. I can form the new government on Monday or on Tuesday. We should undertake official and de facto responsibility as soon as possible.''
When asked whether or not female ministers would take place in the new Council of Ministers, Gul said, ''I will expend efforts to this end. I want our female friends to join the Council of Ministers. But, I cannot say anything at this point because we did not talk about certain names.''
Responding a question about his relations with AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gul said, ''the AK Party has undertaken the responsibility of government. This is the most important thing at this point. We prepared the urgent action plan all together. The most important thing for us is to solve long-standing problems of our people.''
When asked whether or not Labor Security Law would continue or they would revise it, Gul said they would review it together with business world and they would be realistic.
Replying another question, Gul stressed that they would never intervene in basic rights and freedoms.
''These will be our richnesses. Everybody should be sure of this. Nobody should doubt about it. Actually, we don't have time to spend on these. Turkish people suffered many problems. We have to mobilize our energy,'' he said.
Responding a question about southeastern Anatolia, Gul said, ''there are some problems in Turkey. When we broaden standards of democracy and reach the EU criteria, these problems will be solved. Ethnic problems can be solved. In developed democracies and developed countries, such problems are not seen very much.''
When asked whether or not good atmosphere between AK Party and Republican People's Party (CHP) would continue, Gul said that continuation of such an atmosphere was in favor of Turkey.
Replying another question, Gul said that the Cyprus plan prepared by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan was a ''negotiable document''.
''We have to find a solution to the Cyprus issue. Otherwise, our power in Cyprus weakens. We have to approach positively for solution of this. In the past, we made self-sacrifices with good will but we couldn't get a result. We have to take reciprocal steps to help solution by holding meetings. And we have recieved the original document. The Foreign Ministry and we are observing it. The Foreign Ministry briefed us. The document includes favorable aspects but also problematic aspects with classical expressions. It is a negotiable document,'' Gul added.