Guards’ future is not certain
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 08, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - After allegations that the village guard system was at the root of the massacre of 44 people in the southeastern city of Mardin, deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek said the system could be revised or dissolved if necessary.
"But, we should not make decisions based on reactions," said government spokesman and deputy Prime Minister Çiçek, responding to journalists’ questions on the village guard system yesterday.
Masked gunmen armed with assault rifles attacked an engagement party in Mardin late Monday, killing 44 people, including six children and 16 women, and injuring three others.
"The village guard system is the culmination of long discussions by the government. There could be some who act improperly from time to time within the village guard system," he said. "Instead of making a quick decision based on one incident, the issue should be evaluated from many aspects and in detail. Otherwise you accuse those who act properly and work for the unity and well-being of the country," he said.
Noting that there were more than 50,000 village guards operating in the region, Çiçek said the system could be revised or dissolved if needed. However, all of them should not be categorized in the same way, he said.
Meanwhile, in a press conference yesterday ahead of his departure to the Czech Republic to attend the South Corridor Summit, President Abdullah Gül said the issue needed comprehensive analysis and had safety-related dimensions. It was the experts who should make a decision on the system and the possibilities should be considered, he said.
Responding to private television channel NTV’s questions yesterday, deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said the massacre in Mardin had many different aspects and that the village guard system should be reconsidered.
"A commission could be established in the Parliament to investigate the incident," he said.
Masked gunmen armed with assault rifles attacked an engagement party in Mardin late Monday, killing 44 people, including six children and 16 women, and injuring three others.
"The village guard system is the culmination of long discussions by the government. There could be some who act improperly from time to time within the village guard system," he said. "Instead of making a quick decision based on one incident, the issue should be evaluated from many aspects and in detail. Otherwise you accuse those who act properly and work for the unity and well-being of the country," he said.
Noting that there were more than 50,000 village guards operating in the region, Çiçek said the system could be revised or dissolved if needed. However, all of them should not be categorized in the same way, he said.
Meanwhile, in a press conference yesterday ahead of his departure to the Czech Republic to attend the South Corridor Summit, President Abdullah Gül said the issue needed comprehensive analysis and had safety-related dimensions. It was the experts who should make a decision on the system and the possibilities should be considered, he said.
Responding to private television channel NTV’s questions yesterday, deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said the massacre in Mardin had many different aspects and that the village guard system should be reconsidered.
"A commission could be established in the Parliament to investigate the incident," he said.