“I'm thinking of giving Baykal a phone call to see how we can benefit most from our planned meeting,” the prime minister told reporters yesterday as he boarded a plane to Iraq. Erdoğan sent a one-page letter to the CHP leader last week, asking for an appointment to discuss the government's efforts with him. In a six-page letter Baykal sent Erdoğan on Monday, he said he would like to meet with the prime minister this week at CHP headquarters at any time of the day as long as he is informed a day in advance. Baykal also added that he would like to have their meeting recorded by a television crew but that the time and place of their meeting's broadcast should be decided upon together.
Asked about the CHP leader's proposal for a taping of their meeting, Erdoğan said: “You [reporters] are already writing about this issue. I am learning much from your articles. When I announce my reply on this meeting, everything will be clear.”
In the meantime, Baykal expressed his disapproval of a phone call from the prime minister. “There is no reason for the prime minister to make such a call. It would be enough for us if he conveyed us his plans for the date and hour of his visit via his secretary,” he said.
The CHP leader has voiced strong opposition to the government's plans for a democratic initiative toward the country's Kurds so far, saying such a move would “divide” the country instead of “uniting” it. The government has been working for an initiative for Kurdish rights in the country over the last few months. Though not officially confirmed, the government is said to have plans to grant broader cultural and political rights to the country's Kurdish population.
