New charter talks start with panel's first meeting

The Turkish Parliament is set to launch a fresh initiative as an inter-party commission will meet for the first time on Feb. 4 with the task of writing a new charter, nearly two years after failing to do so. 

Parliamentary Speaker ?smail Kahraman will chair the meeting as the four parties in the legislature will be represented by three members each. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will be represented by former Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çiçek, Parliament Justice Commission head Ahmet ?yimaya and AKP Secretary-General Abdulhamit Gül, while the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) has announced deputy leader Bülent Tezcan, Ömer Süha Aldan and Nam?k Havutça as its representatives. 

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) appointed lawmakers Garo Paylan, Meral Dan?? Be?ta? and Mithat Sancar, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will be represented by deputy leader Oktay Öztürk and lawmakers Mehmet Parsak and Kadir Koçdemir. 

The first meeting of the parliamentary commission will focus on shaping the road map of the panel works with particular emphasis on the duration of its mandate and whether the decisions should be taken unanimously. Although the four political parties have similar positions on the need to take decisions unanimously, they differ on the duration of the panel works. 

The AKP insists that the panel should have a six-month mandate, while the MHP favors a year-end deadline.

Both the CHP and HDP stress that the panel should be given enough time to conclude its work. 

Although the four political parties agree on the need for a new constitution that would promote human rights, freedoms and democracy, the AKP's insistence on the adoption of a presidential system stands as...