Ciller's plan faces problems in parliament<\/p>\n
By Suna Erdem<\/p>\n
ANKARA (Reuter): Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller is back
\nat square one this week in her bid to democratize the country's
\nconstitution after a conservative alliance in parliament sniped
\nrelentlessly at her every proposal.<\/p>\n
But analysts and diplomats say Ankara's customs unions deal
\nwith Europe is in the balance unless the government can show, and
\nsoon, concrete progress in making Turkey more democratic.<\/p>\n
Ciller froze debate on a series of constitutional changes last
\nThursday after parliament voted down an amendment to give public
\nsector workers union rights. She said it was to allow a new
\nconsensus to form but gave no time for debate to resume.<\/p>\n
Last Thursday's vote was just the last straw -- progress on
\nall other measures had also been painstakingly slow, despite an
\ninitial cross-party consensus to reform the constitution drawn up
\nin 1982 by Turkey's generals, then in power.<\/p>\n
\"This was the one thing the European Parliament was expecting
\nTurkey would manage,\" a Western diplomat said.<\/p>\n
\"Ciller has to have something to show...There were three
\noptions -- the release of the DEP MPs, article 8, and this. This
\nlooked to be the easiest,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The other possible measures the diplomat referred to were the
\nrelease of six former Turkish MPs who were jailed last year for
\nsupporting Kurdish rights, and an article in the constitution
\nwhich hinders freedom of expression and has been responsible for
\njailing scores of writers and intellectuals.<\/p>\n
European Union negotiators struck a customs deal with Turkey
\nearlier this year that would give Ankara full access to European
\nmarkets and is a significant stepping stone to EU membership.<\/p>\n
But the European Parliament has still to ratify the deal and
\nhas made it clear it wants to see Turkey show, by action rather
\nthan words, it is committed to full liberal democracy.<\/p>\n
In fact, the constitutional debate designed to achieve that
\nhas ended up throwing that commitment into question.<\/p>\n
\"It seems (local) political expediency came out tops against
\nthe advantages offered by the constitutional changes,\" Sedat
\nErgin, a columnist at Hurriyet daily, told Reuters.<\/p>\n
On freezing the parliamentary debate, Ciller launched a bitter
\nattack on opposition Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz,
\nwhom she accuses of jumping ship after pledging support.<\/p>\n
From voting on other amendments in the package, it was clear
\nANAP deputies -- and some from Ciller's own True Path party (DYP)
\n-- had joined the Islamist Welfare party (RP) in blocking
\nmeasures in a powerful conservative block<\/p>\n
Ciller also faced some pressure from the other side, her
\nliberal junior coalition partners the Republican People's Party
\n(CHP), who occasionally tried to block measures they felt did not
\ngo far enough.<\/p>\n
It was not clear where Ciller would go from here.<\/p>\n
Some parliamentary analysts saw last Thursday's freezing as a
\ntactic to scare dissenters into supporting her, but others now
\nsee little chance of the changes being completed.<\/p>\n
\"This is one of the worst constitutions in the world,\"
\npolitical columnist Mehmet Ali Birand said. \"But I don't think
\nthere will be a consensus on it now...It has become mired in the
\nbog of domestic politics.\"<\/p>\n
He said Ciller would have to focus now on the narrower goal of
\nscrapping article 8, although some analysts say this is tougher
\nthan the process which has just broken down.<\/p>\n
\"Article 8 has become a matter of honor...It represents those
\ntied to the old system versus the new,\" Birand said.<\/p>\n
Early general elections are another option, although Ciller
\ninsists her coalition with the CHP will not split up.<\/p>\n
ANAP is now calling for fresh elections, not due until October
\n1996, and the two coalition partners in the government regularly
\nbicker.<\/p>\n
Turkey's stock market plummeted recently when CHP ministers
\nfailed to turn up to a cabinet meeting, and grassroots supporters
\nin the party accuse its leadership of being bullied by Ciller's
\nparty into compromising social democratic values.<\/p>\n
Birand said Ciller would walk an election.<\/p>\n
\"In this environment, with the economy apparently improving
\nand the fight against terror looking successful to the public,
\nCiller would probably walk a general election,\" Birand said.<\/p>\n
At least one European diplomat was in no doubt as to what she
\nshould do if she did go to the polls and win.<\/p>\n
\"She would have to do something concrete straight afterwards,\"
\nthe diplomat said. \"The times are past when the EU is going to be
\nimpressed by a show of strength.\"<\/p>",
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