Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Bulent Arinc, has turned down a request for a meeting from the leader of the Women's Wing of the opposition Republican People's (CHP) Party, Istanbul MP Guldal Okuducu. Okuducu, who lead a campaign to collect signatures calling for the lifting of diplomatic immunity in Ankara, was able to get almost 2 million signatures during her one month drive. She, along with other MPs and leaders of the CHP Women's Wing, marched yesterday from CHP headquarters in Ankara to the Turkish Parliament to present the signatures to the government.

Unable to set aside even 5 minutes
 
At a press conference yesterday following the rejection of their request for a meeting, Okuducu and CHP MP Group Leader Ali Topuz rained criticism on the ruling Justice and Development (AKP) Party for not listening to their voices. Okuducu reminded reporters that she and members of her campaign had promised signers that their signatures would be presented directly to the Turkish Parliament, saying, "And now we will have to go to those citizens and say 'Please excuse us, but the Speaker of the Parliament was unable to set aside 5 minutes for you.'" Okuducu did say that the signatures would instead be presented to a parliamentary secretary.
 
CHP's patience running out
 
Stressing that the lifting of diplomatic immunity was a crucial change necessary to opening the road to justice in Ankara, CHP's Topuz said this: "Now, there are former ministers being tried at the High Court. And when the time comes, no doubt these AKP members will also be tried at the High Court. But we want for this tradition of trying people for crimes committed in past periods change, and that the guilty be allowed to be tried immediately....CHP's patience is running out" (Hürriyetim)