Turkish President Gül urges respect for rule of law

President Gül sounds a new note of calm and caution in his message to welcome the new year, calling for everyone to respect the rule of law amid the ongoing crisis triggered by a corruption probe
Political uncertainty and rising risks in Turkey have moved President Abdullah Gül to use his traditional New Year’s message to call for the utmost attention to respect for the rule of law for the sake of the country’s future generations.

“We are a country which has been integrated with the world, which has harmonized with the European Union acquis to a considerable extent, which has become a center of attraction of investors and where capital flows liberally. In such a country, stability, trust and confidence in the future are determining factors,” Gül said in a message posted on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey yesterday.

“These developments are a product of political stability, good governance and disciplined work. As a nation, we should very well be aware of the value of the point that we have arrived and should exert efforts to leave a country in serenity which is economically and politically developed to the next generations. As such, we need to avoid stances and manners which would shake political stability and an environment of economic confidence, which will erode the democratic state governed by the rule of law, and which will disrupt our unity and peaceful coexistence,” said Gül.

A day before the statement from the presidential Çankaya Palace was released, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said the political crisis engulfing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had cost the economy $100 billion.

“Let’s do not forget that as equal and free citizens of this powerful state, we are all in the same boat. This boat’s way toward a more beautiful and bright future is our joint responsibility. When our society’s dynamic structure is taken into consideration, it is natural to experience problems from time to time and to experience differences of views regarding these [problems],” Gül said.

Arınç, speaking at a press conference following a Cabinet meeting, the recently reshuffled Cabinet’s first, also fired a new salvo against the powerful group that the government accuses of being behind a sweeping corruption probe that has shaken the very core of Erdoğan’s government.

He said the government was working on a legal plan against judges and prosecutors accused of wrongdoing or abuse of power – a reference to the movement headed by influential U.S.-based cleric and former ally Fethullah Gülen.

According to Arınç, the graft probe was a “plot aimed at tarnishing Turkey’s prestige at home and abroad” – a frequent government refrain since the scandal erupted two weeks ago.

Ekleyen HayalPrensesi on 06:00 in foreign news, Turkey president

Turkey PM plans reshuffle after graft probe: president

ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, rattled by a huge corruption scandal implicating some of his closest allies, is preparing a cabinet reshuffle, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Tuesday.

Gul said the premier, who is on an official visit to Pakistan, is expected to announce the reshuffle after he returns late Tuesday.

"We have held long talks with the prime minister on ministers... He is making preparations and evaluations. We will meet when he is back and you will get an answer following this meeting," Gul told reporters in Ankara.

Erdogan, who was already expected to change up his cabinet ahead of local elections on March 30, is expected to replace 10 ministers - almost half the cabinet, according to media reports.

Several newspapers have reported that ministers caught up in a high-level bribery and corruption probe are set to be replaced.

Twenty-four people including the sons of Interior Minister Muammer Guler and Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, as well as the chief executive of state-owned Halkbank, have so far been charged as part of three separate investigations into the bribery allegations.

Erdogan, who has led Turkey since 2002 as the head of a conservative Islamic-leaning government, has described the probe as "a smear campaign" to undermine Turkey's ambitions to become a major political and economic power.

The premier has responded to the probe by sacking dozens of police chiefs.

In his first direct response to the graft controversy, Gul described the probe as "political plotting" but said allegations of bribery can not be covered up.

"The judiciary is independent. If there is corruption, it can't be concealed. Everyone should be respectful of the judicial process. The judiciary will reach the right conclusion," he said.

Observers say the wide-ranging investigation has exposed a rift between Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and Fethullah Gulen, a hugely influential Muslim cleric who lives in the United States.

The Gulen movement wields considerable influence in Turkey's police and in the judiciary.

Ekleyen HayalPrensesi on 07:41 in Haber, Turkey president