Toptan opposes discusion on unalterable articles of constitution

Commenting on the unalterable first three articles of the Constitution, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday declared his opposition to any move to open them up for discussion. The head of the Constitutional court had recently said they should be discussed and questioned. Appearing on television, Toptan said that the articles are basic elements of the state and that questioning them should be avoided. "Let's not cause new public crises," he added. Toptan said there are certain ideologies espoused by fringe groups on both the left and right, but that the Turkish nation is loyal to the state's secular structure and basic principles of the republic.