Turkey's Islamic Leader Moves to Reassure West

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the former mayor of Istanbul who led Turkey's moderate Islamic party to a landslide victory in Sunday's election, yesterday announced plans to tour European capitals to advance his country's claim to EU membership and to reassure nervous western allies.

With the pressing question of who will become the prime minister left unresolved - Mr Erdogan is disqualified from assuming the post by court action - his Justice and Development party (AKP) spent the day stressing its commitment to Turkey's existing international obligations: Nato, the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund.

His sudden passion for international affairs may be intended to send calming signals to Turkey's military high command, which forced out the last Islamic-led government five years ago. The prime minister then, Necmettin Erbakan, pointedly emphasised diplomatic contacts with the Arab world, much to the annoyance of the generals.

Mr Erdogan, who flew from Istanbul to Ankara as the election results came through on Sunday night, said yesterday that he had informed the EU's ambassador before the election that he was "ready to pay visits to EU capitals". The AKP leader's first visit is likely to be to Greece, building on the rapprochement between the longstanding rivals.

"Thirty-five minutes ago, I had a telephone conversation with Mr Simitis, the Greek prime minister," Mr Erdogan said. "He extended his congratulations to me... and he is sending two officials to Ankara to discuss the visit I will make to Greece... We are determined to take measures to accelerate Turkey's entry to the EU."

On the IMF, to which Turkey is one of the biggest debtor nations, the AKP leader promised: "We will sit down with the IMF and go through each article of the [loan] programme. We will request changes if we deem them necessary." His party is hoping to extract some easing of the IMF's financial restrictions.

Mr Erdogan's diplomatic status and authority in the party on such issues may become problematic once the AKP forms a government. Yesterday he confirmed that it would begin meetings today to decide who will be selected to become the prime minister.

Speculation is already rife. Abdullah Gul, deputy chairman of the AKP, is a leading contender but many suspect his abilities might eclipse Mr Erdogan's position outside the national assembly.

Vecdi Gonul, a former chairman of one of the supreme courts, is another candidate recognised as an experienced administrator. Abdulkadir Aksu, a former local governor, is a possibility as a caretaker.

Mr Erdogan sidestepped the question yesterday of whether his party's overwhelming majority in the assembly could be used to change the constitution or the laws which currently prevent him from becoming a candidate.

His party won 363 seats out of 550 seat assembly, leaving them four votes short of a two thirds majority needed to change the constitution. There are, however, nine independents, some of whom could be sympathetic. The Republican People's Party ( CHP) holds the remaining 178 seats.

As well as being disqualified from standing as a parliamentary candidate Mr Erdogan is also facing a legal action by the state prosecutor which would force him to stand down from the leadership of the party. A further action is underway to close the party altogether.

Meanwhile, the AKP still has to convince its humiliated political opponents and the military establishment that it has no secret Islamist agenda.

Confronted with the same allegation again yesterday, he replied: "We are fed up listening to these types of questions. We are not a political party based on religion. The best way to find out whether this is true or not is to watch."

The AKP, he said, was a "party of the right of centre" which had "reshaped the political centre... and brought together the right of centre in one place in a stronger manner".

The pre-election party programme implied that Islamic beliefs were a private matter. "The AKP regards secularism as an important condition for democracy," their policy document declared. "The basic idea behind secularism is the impartiality of the state towards all religious beliefs... In this sense secularism is also a principle of freedom. It... restricts and limits not the individual but the state."

Some describe their ideology as conservatism with Islamic roots, and others have called them "Muslim democrats", on the analogy of Europe's Christian Democrats.