Parliament Sworn in with calls for peace and dialogue

Parliament sworn in with calls for peace and dialogue
Monday, August 6, 2007
Pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party's Türk shakes hand with Devlet Bahçeli, of the Nationalist Movement Party, raising hopes among the populace that fighting in Parliament will end. Officials of both parties congratulate each other

GÖKSEL BOZKURTANKARA TDN Parliament Bureau

A picture of two men shaking hands… Could it possibly be that important to revive the hopes of a nation for a better future? For a stable country where problems are overcome through dialogue? Today, Turkey enjoys this picture. The actors in the picture published on the front pages of almost all Turkish newspapers are, Devlet Bahçeli of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Ahmet Türk of the Democratic Society Party (DTP).
Almost all political parties accuse the DTP of not unequivocally condemning the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorism. But the MHP's Bahçeli has the sharpest rhetoric on the issue, criticizing the government for not hanging Abdullah Öcalan the imprisoned Kurdish leader, and throwing a piece rope to the crowds during his election campaign.
This picture of reconciliation between these two men will always bring to mind the opening ceremony of the 549-seat Parliament if they do not forget their responsibilities toward the Turkish people, which they pledged in their oath. “We are civilized people, we will have relations,” said Türk, speaking to reporters after his gesture to Bahçeli.
The Turkish Parliament was sworn in Saturday during a 10-hour long swearing in ceremony of the newly elected 549 lawmakers amid calls for peace and dialogue between Turkish nationalist and pro-Kurdish politicians.
DTP MPs pay respect to Atatürk:
The swearing in ceremony started with Şükrü Elekdağ, the oldest member of the Parliament who presided over the session pending the election of a new speaker, laying a wreath at Atatürk's monument. Elekdağ and the members of the speaker's office held a minute of silence in respect to Atatürk with the participation of ministers, lawmakers and 20 deputies of the DTP.
Elekdağ, in his opening remarks, referred to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statement on the night of general elections on July 22 saying, “The messages he gave are crucially important and are seen as pre-conditions for the continuation of stability and comfort in our country.” Then Elekdağ invited lawmakers to take oath after the singing of the national anthem. Some of the DTP deputies did not join the other deputies singing the national anthem.
President and top general absent
The new Parliament consists of four political parties' groups, namely the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republican People's Party (CHP), the MHP and the DTP. Besides, 13 deputies of the Democratic Left Part (DSP), one deputy of the Great Union Party (BBP), another one from the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) were also present in Parliament alongside with independent deputies.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt and top commanders were absent during the opening ceremony of Parliament. The generals were holding the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting with Prime Minister Erdoğan. The diplomatic community, members of the top judicial institutions were in Parliament too.
A historic moment
All eyes were on the MHP and DTP deputies who were sitting next to each other. Before the elections, Prime Minister Erdoğan warned of a possible fight between those two groups in Parliament. But on the first day, things did not go the way Erdoğan predicted. All the DTP deputies took their oath in Turkish without adding a single word in their mother tongue Kurdish.
Furthermore the DTP deputies Ahmet Türk, Aysel Tuğluk, Sırrı Sakık, Osman Özçelik and Hasip Kaplan went to the MHP ranks and shook the hand of Devlet Bahçeli and other MHP officials. Bahçeli stood up as a show of respect to Ahmet Türk while the two wished each other success in Parliament.
Bahçeli, during his election campaign, described the DTP as affiliated to the PKK. Ahmet Türk, speaking to reporters Saturday, said, “We are deputies. We may have different opinions but we will work under the same building. We are civilized persons we'll have relations.” He also told CNN-Türk television, “We want to help in working out a peaceful and democratic process .... in a spirit of conciliation and dialogue: It is with these sentiments that we intend to accomplish our mission in Parliament.”
Sırrı Sakık said almost everybody was expecting such a move in Parliament adding, “We shook hands in a civilized manner. I think that the prime minister had to do the same. He should have shaken the hands of party leaders. If the prime minister would do so, it would be a better beginning for all.”
Kurdish crisis in 1991
The Pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DPT) deputies acting in coordination was an eye-catching development. The deputies were seated in Parliament together. The DTP Muş deputy Sırrı Sakık said they had the same seats in 1991. “We have a lot of memories here. We were dismissed and now thought that we should enter Parliament from here.”
DTP deputies were elected in 1991 from the now-defunct People's Labor Party (HEP) and spoke in Kurdish during the swearing in ceremony. Leyla Zana and her colleagues also wore the traditional Kurdish colors of red, yellow and green on their headbands, which led to crisis in the General Assembly. Hatip Dicle took the floor in Parliament with a scarf composed of the same colors. The HEP deputies were later dismissed from office and in order to protest the decision and not be detained, they avoided leaving Parliament. During their demonstration, the deputies were sitting in the same seats the current DTP deputies are seated.
The DTP's Istanbul deputy Sebahat Tuncel is an eye-catching figure among other deputies. She was elected deputy while in prison. Being one of the youngest deputies in Parliament, she served at the speaker's council and declined to answer questions by the press.
Bahçeli applauds DTP deputies
The DTP deputies caused no problem during the swearing in ceremony and read the constitutional text of the oath. Everyone in Parliament was on alert in case a crisis erupted and all eyes turned to DTP Batman deputy Ayla Akat Ata when she took the floor to take her oath. But what had been expected did not take place and Ata read the text in Turkish, a development that was applauded by her party colleagues and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli. In a reciprocal gesture, DTP deputies applauded Bahçeli after he took his oath.
Erdoğan uses key word ‘democracy'
Commenting on the friendly encounter between DTP deputies and MHP leader Bahçeli in Parliament, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “We hope Turkey experiences a more advanced democracy under the roof of Parliament.” He emphasized that all political parties in Parliament should show common sensitivity especially about the separatist terrorist organization.
Baykal: DTP must say PKK is terrorist group
The Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal avoided shaking hands with both Bahçeli and Ahmet Türk. In a brief conversation with reporters after the ceremony, he said: “DTP deputies did not attempt to take their oath in Kurdish and shook hands with the MHP leader. These are nice things. The main criterion for me is that DTP deputies should be able to say, “PKK is a terrorist organization.” During the entire ceremony, Baykal did not meet with the DTP deputies and preferred to remain far from them. Prime Minister Erdoğan applauded Baykal when he took his oath but Bahçeli did not do the same. Baykal similarly applauded Erdoğan who took the oath. But Bahçeli did not.
Yılmaz seated in independents' row
Accompanied by former minister Cavit Kavak and businessman Abdurrahman Albayrak, former Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz, who was elected independent deputy from the Black Sea province of Rize, entered Parliament just before the opening of the General Assembly and held a brief conversation with reporters.
When asked whether he was excited, Yılmaz replied, “very much.” Yılmaz tried to figure out which seat belongs to him with the help of reporters. Together with the other independent deputies, Yılmaz was seated in the back row. He shook hands with Bahçeli, a partner in his former coalition government.
Fashionable deputies
Most of the deputies preferred to wear black suits for the ceremony, while female deputies competed to be better dressed. Both female and male deputies seemed good-looking. The CHP's Adana deputy Nevin Gaye Erbatur drew attention with her white linen dress that was adorned with the six arrows of the CHP representing the six principles of the Republic. The DTP's deputy Ayla Akat Ata, the AKP's Özlem Türköne and the CHP's Güldal Mumcu were among the fashionable deputies. Türköne, who wore a light colored suit, had to change her dress when warned that she had to work at the speaker's council since she is one of the youngest deputies. The CHP's Istanbul deputy Necla Arat was similarly warned when she wore a short-sleeved dress.
Swearing in, four times
Some of the deputies preferred to read the text of the oath one by one to avoid any mistake, while some got excited. The speaker of Parliament had the deputies who forgot the text repeat their oath. The temporary speaker of Parliament, Şükrü Elekdağ, had memorized his oath. Deputies including Erdoğan burst into laughter when the AKP's Bingöl deputy used the term “instinct,” instead of “ideal.” The AKP's visually impaired deputy from Istanbul, Lokman Ayva, took the floor with the help of the staff. Ayva swore in by reading a special text. The AKP's Ankara deputy Burhan Kayatürk misread the text three times. After a warning from Elekdağ, Kayatürk read it without an error on his fourth attempt. The AKP's Bolu deputy Yüksel Coşkunyürek had to repeat his oath after he missed a few words. H
Yağmurdereli puts on a show
Producer Osman Yağmurdereli, elected Istanbul deputy of the AKP, kissed his hand and put it onto his forehead after he completing his oath, a move that prompted applause from the deputies. “I will take notes during my tenure in Parliament and then shoot a film of Parliament,” he said.
Delay in taking oath
The AKP's Istanbul deputy Hayati Yazıcı, whose daughter got married yesterday, was the sole deputy who did not participate in the swearing in ceremony. He participated in the initial ceremony in Parliament and then departed for Istanbul together with Erdoğan. Yazıcı will take the floor to take his oath in the first upcoming session of Parliament.
Parliament to convene on Aug. 9
The ceremony in Parliament took 10-and-a-half hours, ending at 1:20 a.m. The process involved the swearing in of 548 deputies. The first task of Parliament will be to choose its speaker. Elekdağ said applications for the post will last until Wednesday and announced that Parliament will convene at 3:00 p.m. on Aug. 9 to elect the speaker.

Source: Turkish Daily News