Eurasia Press & News
A new bill to replace a parliamentary motion passed last year authorizing cross-border military operations in Syria will be on Parliament’s agenda on Oct. 3, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said.
Speaking in a press conference held after the weekly Cabinet meeting in Ankara, Arınç declined to comment on possible changes, but did say that the motion would only relate to Syria and would not include Iraq.
The current motion will expire on Oct. 4.
The deputy prime minister,, who also serves as the government’s spokesman, said his government was “curious about the other parties’ views on the motion.”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said on Sept. 19 that the new motion could include a number of amendments, adding that the Foreign Ministry and the General Staff were doing what was necessary regarding the motion.
Last year’s motion brought about amendments to the rules of engagement adopted by Turkey. These were recently referred to by Turkish officials after the military shot down a Syrian helicopter that committed a border violation on Sept. 16.
