TURKEY: PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE YALIM EREZ HOLDS TALKS IN ATTEMPT TO FORM COALITION GOVERNMENT.

Record ID: 231105

  • Title: TURKEY: PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE YALIM EREZ HOLDS TALKS IN ATTEMPT TO FORM COALITION GOVERNMENT.
  • Date: 28th December 1998
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 28, 1998) (REUTERS) 1. GV/PAN: PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE YALIM EREZ'S CAR DRVING THROUGH THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE/ GATES (2 SHOTS) 0.13 2. GV: EREZ'S NEWS CONFERENCE 0.16 3. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) DESIGNATED PRIME MINISTER YALIM EREZ SAYING "The President has given me the task of forming a new government, I thank him." 0.23 4. GV/GV/PAN: EREZ GETTING INTO CAR/ CAR LEAVING THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE (2 SHOTS) 0.34 5. MCU/GV: EREZ EMBRACING AND SHAKING HANDS WITH LEADER OF THE PRO-ISLAMIC VIRTUE PARTY RECAI KUTAN/ PAIR WALKING INTO MEETING ROOM AND DOORS CLOSING/ PRESS (3 SHOTS) 0.57 6. MCU: EREZ SHAKING HANDS WITH KUTAN AFTER THEIR MEETING 1.06 7. MV: EREZ WALKING IN PARLIAMENT CORRIDORS 1.10 8. GV: EREZ ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE AND SITTING DOWN 1.15 9. CU: SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) DESIGNATED PRIME MINISTER YALIM EREZ SAYING "For me, the target is not only to achieve the figure of 270 to get the vote of confidence. I believe that in any case a government can be formed by the parliament to get the vote of confidence and I believe I can do it with the support of members of our parliament." 1.34 10. MCU: EREZ MEETING FORMER PRIME MINISTER MESUT YILMAZ (DARK HAIR) 1.46 11. SV: PRESS 1.50 12. CU: SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) FORMER PRIME MINISTER, LEADER OF THE MOTHERLAND PARTY MESUT YILMAZ SAYING: "As the Motherland Party, the most important criteria that forms our attitude towards a new government is directly related with the duration of this government. We consider this government as the one that would take Turkey to the general elections fixed for April 18." 2.07 13. GV/SCU: EREZ MEETING DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER BULENT ECEVIT/ (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND LEADER OF THE DEMOCRATIC LEFTIST PARTY BULENT ECEVIT SAYING "We are going to meet Mr.Erez again in the second round of talks and, if necessary, in between." (2 SHOTS) 2.22 14. SCU: CLOSE UP OF EREZ 2.35 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th January 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ANKARA, TURKEY
  • Country: Turkey
  • Reuters ID: LVABTSSB5H23XHX5WFNHHGVVX8M0
  • Story Text: Turkish Prime Minister-designate Yalim Erez has been holding
    talks with key political leaders as he continues efforts to form a
    government.Erez was appointed by President Suleyman Demirel to try to
    unite Turkey's bickering parties.

    Erez, an independent parliamentarian, said on Tuesday (December
    29) he hoped to form a coalition government next week after a month of
    political instability in the country.

    President Suleyman Demirel chose Erez as prime minister-designate last
    week in the hope of providing a non-partisan leader under whom the
    political parties could unite.

    If Erez succeeds, he is expected to govern only until
    general elections scheduled for next April.Corruption charges
    toppled Turkey's fifth government in three years last month.

    Erez, currently trade and industry minister in a caretaker
    administration, has been holding an exploratory first round of
    meetings with party leaders in the capital Ankara.

    On Monday (December 28), Erez had his first meetings with
    the leader of the pro-Islamic Virtue Party, Recai Kutan,
    leader of the Democratic
    Leftist Party, Bulent Ecevit and the Motherland Party leader
    Mesut Yilmaz.

    "I left today's meetings very happy," Erez later told
    reporters.

    But no concrete signs emerged of agreement in a deal
    seeking to find common ground between secularist parties and
    political Islam, which is widely distrusted by the
    establishment.

    Erez wants to form a multi-party government that would
    include Virtue, but acknowledged the difficulty.

    The staunchly secularist Ecevit excluded the Islamists
    from
    his coalition talks and stressed his party's loyalty to
    secularism at a press conference after meeting Erez.

    Erez later met conservative Mesut Yilmaz ahead of talks
    with
    other minor leaders scheduled for Tuesday.

    Turkey has been dogged by political instability with five
    administrations collapsing in three years.

    If Erez is successful, the new government is expected to
    last until elections set for April, 20 months before they are
    due.

    He will hold a second round of talks next week.

    Turkey's secularist political parties have been deeply
    divided over who should replace Mesut Yilmaz, whose government
    was knocked from power last month in a corruption scandal.

    Demirel initially gave the government mandate to veteran
    leftist leader Bulent Ecevit, who failed to unite rival
    right-wing parties.Erez is seen as having a better chance of
    putting together a coalition.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register