Turkish ministers criticize national program, foreign minister over EU
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Turkish cabinet members criticized the Foreign Minister and the new national program for the European Union saying some of the legislation is not included in the government's program, Referans business daily reported. The draft program would take its final shape after deliberations with NGOs and the opposition, the government spokesman said Monday. (UPDATED)
The national program debated in the latest council of ministers meeting drew fierce criticism from cabinet ministers who defended that some parts in the program were not in the government's agenda, the report said.Â
It also added the ministers said there is not sufficient time left to realize those reforms and criticized Turkish Foreign Minister and Chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan for not discussing the program with other members of the cabinet.
The ministers' criticism followed Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's remarks saying the to-do-list debated by Babacan with EU officials were not in the AKP's short term program.
The cabinet had decided to hold debates before finalizing the program and submitting it to the EU. Therefore the submission of the program would be delayed, the report said.
The draft program has been sent to eighty-four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in order to get their views on the program until Sept.15, government spokesman Cemil Cicek told reporters following the council of ministers on Monday.
Babacan also would start meeting officials from opposition parties to hold talks regarding the program after Sept. 8, he said. After the meetings with the NGOs and the opposition, the final form for the text will be written, Cicek added.