Turkish Parliament to Draft New Constitution

The Turkish parliament will start drafting a new constitution aimed at guaranteeing more rights to minorities, especially Kurds, a parliamentary source said on Tuesday.

The new text would replace a constitution drawn up by the military after the 1980 coup.

"The consultations with the political groups and civil society are over and the writing of the text will begin in the days to come," the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

The draft text will then be presented and put to vote in parliament. It would also have to be approved in a referendum to come into force.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and by much of the world community, took up arms in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.