Erdogan: We can talk about costitutional changes after the local elections

Proposed constitutional changes such allowing individual applications to the Constitutional Court, an ombudsman system, making political party closures more difficult, and a revised election law can be discussed after the impending local elections, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. Following a campaign rally in Izmir ahead of the March 29 polls, Erdogan told reporters he would meet with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan and the leaders of other parties in Parliament about the proposed changes. Saying that all parties, except the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), had agreed to a new commission to make constitutional changes, Erdogan added that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will again seek out the CHP's views on these changes. "If the other parties in the Parliament except the CHP favor changing the constitution, the Parliament can pass a constitutional amendment package," he added. Touching on a meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations in Istanbul early next month, Erdogan said US President Barack Obama may speak at the gathering. On Iraq, Erdogan stated that Turkey has low-level relations with the northern Iraqi Kurdish administration. Reiterating that Turkey's official counterpart is the Iraqi central government, he added that President Abdullah Gul will visit Baghdad this month.