November 2, 2002	Saturday	Sha’aban 26,1423

WASHINGTON, Nov 1: The United States said on Thursday that it opposed bans on peaceful political parties such as the proposed ban on Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, which Turkey’s top prosecutor wants to outlaw.

“On the question of the lawsuit against Justice and Development Party in Turkey, we would say we oppose the banning of political parties that are expressing their views in a peaceful and democratic manner,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a daily briefing.

“We support democracy and broad political participation in Turkey and elsewhere. Democracy, we believe, is most successful when there’s free and open debate, including in elections,” the spokesman added.

Turkey’s constitutional court said on Wednesday it would take a first look at a case to ban the party (AKP), which is expected to win elections.

Top prosecutor Sabih Kanadoglu moved to outlaw the party on Oct 22, hitting investor hopes that the election could bring political stability to Turkey.

The United States has a stake in the outcome of the election because of Turkey’s role as a NATO ally and a base for US military operations in Iraq.—Reuters