US praises Turkey's AKP for democratisation efforts

22/06/2008

WASHINGTON, United States -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Saturday (June 21st) that while the secular character of Turkey is important, religion is also a factor. In a speech to a foreign affairs seminar in Washington, Rice praised the efforts of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), noting that unlike other parties, it has reached out to Turkish Kurds. The Constitutional Court is considering whether to shut down the party, for allegedly threatening secularism in Turkey. Thousands of AKP supporters staged a demonstration in Istanbul on Saturday. They say opponents are trying to "stage a coup through the judiciary".

In other news, a Turkish military court banned the media Friday from broadcasting materials related to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party, well as documents and digital records related to confidential information about cross-border operations in northern Iraq. Prosecutors launched an investigation after a real-time broadcast of classified intelligence material by a local TV channel. (Hurriyet, Milliyet, Vatan - 22/06/08; Sabah, AFP - 21/06/08; Hurriyet, Zaman, Anadolu news agency - 20/06/08)