CHP seeks meeting with PM

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu joins a TV show, where he says he asked for an appointment with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss his party’s proposal for the settlement of the Kurdish question. DHA photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has asked for an appointment with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss his party’s proposal for the settlement of the Kurdish question.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) seemed to turn a cold shoulder to the proposal, but Erdoğan will have the final word on the issue.

“Is the CHP is sincere or not? This point should be evaluated very well. Because there’s an obvious disharmony within the CHP. It’s not clear where they are going. Briefly, their [the CHP’s] invitation will be evaluated by the AKP’s authorized bodies,” AKP deputy chairman Mustafa Elitaş said.

Prime Minister Erdoğan is also visiting southeastern province of Diyarbakır on June 2, where he may respond to the CHP leader.

The CHP submitted a proposal to Parliament on May 31 for the creation of cross-party committees to work on settling the Kurdish question. The proposal suggests the formation of a joint “Social Consensus Commission,” similar to the Constitution Conciliation Commission, as well as the creation of another panel outside Parliament, the “Wise People Commission,” to discuss ways of resolving the Kurdish issue.

Possible meeting
Kılıçdaroğlu previously announced that he would meet with the leaders of the other three parliamentary parties to seek support for his party’s initiative. Commenting on the issue yesterday on private news channel CNNTürk, Kılıçdaroğlu voiced his optimism for a possible meeting with Erdoğan.

“I hope we will meet with the prime minister in the coming days. This [Kurdish] issue is not a problem the government can resolve alone. The mothers of martyrs are asking me why we politicians don’t solve this problem everywhere I go. I’m sure the prime minister has received similar demands. We cannot solve this issue alone, but we can contribute to a solution,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

The prospective meeting is expected to take place at the prime minister’s office, if Erdoğan accepts Kılıçdaroğlu’s request.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has voiced skepticism about the CHP proposal, but the party’s administration will evaluate any request for a similar appointment if and when it receives one.

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) for its part lent support to the CHP’s initiative, describing the move as “a positive step even if it was taken belatedly.” BDP deputy group chairman Hasip Kaplan said his party would also evaluate any appointment request they receive.