Atalay: "Bugging is a severe blow to freedom and unacceptable"

During a meeting of Parliament's Planning and Budget Commission yesterday, Interior Minister Besir Atalay touched on the claims that headquarters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) had been bugged and said, "The bugging severely violates individual freedom and this is unacceptable." Atalay also suggested opposition parties to establish a joint parliamentary commission to thoroughly investigate the allegations. The CHP accused the government of trying to blanket the incident and urged the government to expose those who are responsible for the bugging as soon as possible. The opposition National Movement Party (MHP) Secretary-General Cihan Pacaci said that his party supported the government's suggestion but that the commission should be impartial. Commenting on the claims by the CHP, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek reiterated the government's suggestion to set up a parliamentary commission to probe the claims and said, "The government is determined to do whatever necessary to detect those who are involved in the incident."