Cicek meets with leaders of opposition parties

Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek on Tuesday separately met with all three opposition parties represented in Parliament yesterday in a bid to revive the process of drafting a new Constitution. Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Cicek, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said his party would not walk away from the negotiation table in Parliament’s Constitution Conciliation Commission. Bahceli also said that their red lines, especially the irrevocability of certain articles of the Constitution and the definition of Turkish citizenship, are still non-negotiable. “Loping off is not a solution. If parties with different ideas managed to reach a consensus on 48 articles within 440 days, there is benefit in waiting for the others with patience too. The MHP will not leave the commission. If there is anyone who wants to leave the table, it is those parties’ own business,” Bahceli added. Afterwards, Cicek met with co-chairs of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Gultan Kisanak and Selahattin Demirtas. Following the meeting, Kisanak complained about the slow pace of work at the commission, but told reporters that they would not leave the commission. Finally, Cicek met with main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. During the meeting, Kilicdaroglu suggested that all of the articles on which an agreement was reached and failed to reach are opened to public and submitted to non-governmental organizations for discussion. Kilicdaroglu added that they were in favor of a constitution supporting freedom and democracy.