Turk president urges care on constitutional reform

Turkish President Abdullah Gul warned his own supporters in government on Tuesday to be careful as they sent to parliament a disputed constitutional reform package that strikes at the heart of the secular elite. The proposals to overhaul the judiciary, make the military accountable to civilian courts and make it harder to outlaw political parties challenge Turkey's establishment.
The ruling AK party, whose roots lie in political Islam, says the changes are needed to strengthen Turkey's democracy and support its attempt to become a member of the European Union. But Gul, who was an AK Party member before his election by parliament in 2007, urged the government to tread cautiously.
"What's important is, constitutions are binding for everyone, and are long-term, top-level documents. It's very important that these changes be made in the best way. Caution and care should be taken for sure," he told journalists. He was commenting on a revised proposal that would allow the armed forces chief and other top brass in the once untouchable military to be tried in the Supreme Court, like ministers.
A proposal, that would have allowed the president to appoint lay citizens to sit on the Constitutional Court's bench, was dropped from the list given to parliament after Gul objected. Analysts said Gul's objections did not imply any rift with old colleagues in AK.
"Gul did not say that because he was against the government's package," said Levent Gonenc, a law lecturer at Ankara University. "The appointment of lay citizens ... could have caused great problems in the future if the provision had been retained."
The main measures will change the way judges are appointed, make it harder for courts to ban political parties, and allow military officers, including the chief of staff, to be tried in civilian, rather than, military courts. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan plans to call for a referendum on the changes if parliament fails to pass the amendments.
Critics say the AK Party, whose landslide victory in 2002 ended decades of rule by secular, nationalist parties, aims to cement its grip on power ahead of an election due by mid-2011.
The AK Party has a sizable parliamentary majority, but lacks the two-thirds needed to pass constitutional amendments, making a referendum more probable. Lawmakers are unlikely to vote on the package before mid-April, as the proposals have to go through parliamentary scrutiny before a bill is finalised. Any referendum would probably be held two months later.