Pace to issue declaration against party closures

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is expected to soon issue a declaration expressing its opposition to political party closures. Speaking to NTV yesterday, PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig said that a Turkish delegation had asked the assembly to issue the declaration. But this statement caused friction within the Turkish delegation currently in Strasbourg, made up of eight deputies from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and two each from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The opposition deputies stated that they had no part in seeking the declaration, while the AKP deputies also denied any role in it. The AKP's Mevlut Cavusoglu, who heads the delegation, said that the decision to issue a declaration had already made before they arrived in Strasbourg, where PACE is headquartered.