Turkish Pm Meets Opposition Leaders Over New Constitution

Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on Monday has discussed the ongoing fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and efforts to frame the country’s new constitution with leaders of two key opposition parties.

Yıldırım, who is also chairman of the governing Justice and Development (AK Party), met opposition Republican’s People Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli at the Çankaya Palace in Ankara.

During the meeting counter-terrorism operations in the country as well as developments in war-torn Syria and Iraq were also discussed, said Yıldırım.

In the three-hour long meeting it was pointed out that the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) should make a clear stance against the PKK.

This is the third such meeting in the past month after the July 15 deadly coup attempt.

On July 19, Yıldırım met Kılıçdaroğlu and Bahçeli separately at the Çankaya Palace.

On August 1, Yıldırım again met Kılıçdaroğlu at the CHP headquarters and Bahçeli at the parliament to discuss the decrees under the three-month state of emergency, which was declared following the foiled coup.

On August 7, millions of people gathered at Istanbul's Yenikapi Square in a spectacular display of unity that brought together ruling and opposition party leaders.

The massive Democracy and Martyrs' Rally was the first time in modern Turkey's history that all leaders of rival political parties, as well as the chief of General Staff shared a platform.

Monday's "consultation meeting" was held in an effort to continue that spirit of unity.

Turkey's government has said the defeated coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gülen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his FETÖ network.

Gülen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the democratically elected government through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. Gülen denies being leader of the group and all accusations.