Turkish opposition asks minister to brief parliament on US use of base

Anatolia news agency
21 Apr 05

Ankara, 21 April: Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy leader Onur
Oymen called on Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to give information to
the parliament about Incirlik base on Thursday [21 April]. Speaking in
a joint news conference with CHP acting group leader Haluk Koc, Oymen
referred to the news published in the press saying that a memorandum
of understanding was signed with the USA and a decree was opened to
signature at the cabinet about Incirlik base.

“The parliament learns the things that are going on about such an
important matter from the press, can this be possible? The government
has not answered our question motions or has not given us information
about Incirlik base till today… We want to know what the government
has done so far and what it will do,” Oymen said, asking Foreign
Minister Gul to inform the parliament immediately about Incirlik base.

Oymen also criticized the government’s attitude regarding the adoption
of the recent Polish parliament’s decision which recognized the
so-called Armenian genocide. “The parliament should have been informed
about the developments so that we could do something. The government
continues to ignore the parliament in foreign policy,” Oymen commented.

Haluk Koc said in his part that CHP expressed almost all of the views
which Chief of General Staff Gen Hilmi Ozkok explained during his
speech at the War Academies Command yesterday, adding none of those
CHP views were covered by the media.