Parliament to convene for train tragedy discussion
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc called an emergency parliamentary session on Aug. 4 at 3:00 p.m. as a result of a petition filed by the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The emergency session will feature debates on a parliamentary inquiry submitted by the CHP against Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim. The CHP lacked the necessary number of seats to convene the session and needed support from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). An announcement made by AK Party leader and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his way back from a trip to Iran made it certain that the session would get under way. Erdogan said: "We don’t object to the CHP’s request. We support it. We will make sure Parliament convenes."
CHP parliamentary group deputy leader Ali Topuz said: "We got the impression that Parliament would convene after the meetings we had with the True Path Party [DYP] deputies, the independents and some sensitive AK Party deputies. However, full attendance by the AK Party would be more appropriate. We were expecting that."
Speaking at a press conference in Parliament, Topuz said the cost of Parliament ignoring a matter of such great importance as the train accident would be very high. He said Parliament not discussing the issue just because it was on holiday was unthinkable.
Topuz said the transportation minister and Turkish State Railways (TCDD) General Manager Suleyman Karaman should resign from their posts for the duration of the investigation. Topuz said the parliamentary inquiry submitted by the CHP was providing an opportunity for the AK Party, noting: "If the minister resigns before the inquiry gets under way, he will be the only one taking the blame. If he doesn’t, the responsibility will rest on the shoulders of the prime minister and the AK Party. We are calling on the AK Party deputies to free their party from such a burden."
The CHP currently has 171 seats in Parliament to the AK Party’s 368. The number of deputies required for dismissal of the transportation minister is 276. Under current conditions, the CHP has no chance of toppling the minister, even it receives support from the DYP deputies and the independents.
Prime Minister Erdogan has defended Yildirim and Karaman since the accident occurred. When asked if the transportation minister would resign, Erdogan sharply warned the journalists to mind their place.
Only the matter for which Parliament has been summoned can be discussed during an emergency session. After discussions, the parliamentary recess, set to end on Oct. 1, will continue. If the AK Party wants to further discuss certain laws, it may push through a decision for the parliamentary work to continue. The AK Party was planning on convening an emergency session on Sept. 15 to pass some major laws, including the new Turkish Criminal Code.
Whether or not the inquiry into the transportation minister will get under way will be discussed on Aug. 4. During these discussions, a member of the group that submitted the call for the emergency session and a member each of the parliamentary groups will address the deputies. The transportation minister will also air his opinions about the inquiry. The assembly will vote on whether to vote on the inquiry. If it is approved, discussions will take place two days later and a vote of confidence will be held. A parliamentary majority, or 276 votes, is needed for the dismissal of a minister.
However, most expect the inquiry to be rejected due to AK Party opposition to it.
——————————————————————————–
Aydiner: Cakici documents will be corrected
Police chief says he did not think documents submitted by Turkey for the extradition of Cakici from Austria were deficient, but if they were, they will be corrected
——————————————————————————–
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Police Chief Gokhan Aydiner said on Friday that he did not think the documents submitted by Turkey to an Austrian court for the extradition of infamous gang leader Allattin Cakici were deficient in any way, but noted, "If they are, they will soon be corrected."
Speaking during his meeting with Aydin Deputy-Governor Omer Eru, as part of his tour of Aegean cities, Aydiner said the matter was not important, because the documents sent were kept ready for such incidents and they were legally complete.
When asked about reports of the Police Department employing psychologists, he said the articles were exaggerating the matter, noting that this practice was not something new.
He said: "We founded rehabilitation and consultation centers a while ago. The Police Department is an armed organization. It is a very stressful profession. The nerves of policemen should be very strong. We are a 200,000-strong institution. There may be some exceptions in our organization, just like they could occur in any such large establishment. That’s why we have taken some precautions to educate and strengthen the personnel we are admitting. This is not a new development. We had psychologists before."
He said constitutional amendments passed by Parliament had altered the duties and powers of policemen, noting that they were trying to train the personnel on the new rules through education.
Aydiner said: "The republic of Turkey is a state, not a clan. There is no arbitrariness. Administrative precautions will be taken if there are any deficiencies in the application of laws."
