What is the stance of the new party?
Mr Cem wants to press for European Union membership. His new party would be pro-western and pro-democracy. Mr Ozkan and the economy minister, Kemal Dervis, would join the party. Mr Dervis, who is seen as crucial to securing the country’s economic reforms, resigned briefly yesterday before withdrawing his notice after pressure from Mr Ecevit. The prime minister today named his close ally, Sukru Sina Gurel, who has a hawkish reputation on Cyprus and the EU, as the replacement to Mr Cem as foreign minister. Negotiations with Greece over Cyprus are at a sensitive stage, so this lack of stability in the foreign ministry comes at a bad time. What are the roots of the crisis? Turkey is undergoing a financial crisis, which has seen the unemployment level increase by some 2 million people. The question of seeking membership of the EU is emotive, as some believe it will provide some salvation for the economy. During Mr Dervis’ brief resignation, the Turkish lira fell to an all-time low of just o
