Turkish Economy Minister Kemal Dervis, the architect of Turkey's $16 billion, foreign-backed recovery program, announces his resignation in Ankara August 10, 2002. Dervis resigned on August 10, pledging to devote his efforts to uniting Turkey's array of center-left parties ahead of November 3 general elections. Photo by Anatolian/Reuters

Turkey's Economy Minister Resigns
Selcan Hacaoglu, The Associated Press, ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's respected economy minister quit Saturday to pursue his effort to unite pro-Western political forces in opposing a popular Islamic party in November's national election.

Kemal Dervis, a former World Bank official who is not a member of a political party, has become one of the most trusted figures in this NATO nation for his widely praised direction of efforts to revive the economy from its worst slump in decades.

But his behind-the-scenes talks with political foes of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit had angered the ailing premier, who reportedly told Dervis on Friday he had to choose between staying in the government and joining Ecevit's rivals.

"After evaluating the situation, I now resign," Dervis said in a statement broadcast on television.

He said he hoped to unify bickering center-left parties into a broad coalition that supports ties with the West and Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

"It is still not late for alliances," he said. "Let's put forward solutions, instead of assailing each other and trying to bury each other."

Moderates and liberals in this overwhelmingly Muslim but politically secular country see Dervis as a hope for keeping Tayyip Erdogan's religious Justice and Development Party from winning the Nov. 3 election. They worry an Erdogan victory would threaten the secular system as well as the country's stability. Five years after another Islamic-oriented movement was forced from power by the staunchly secular military, Erdogan's party is considered by many Turks an honest alternative to a government widely viewed as ridden with corruption. The party also has won support by passing out food to the poor.

Turkey is suffering its worst recession since World War II, and Dervis took the lead in winning $16 billion in loans from the International Monetary Fund to finance the economic recovery program.

Ecevit chose a little-known political ally, legislator Masum Turker, to replace Dervis but said there would be no changes in the economic policies in place.

Analysts say a stable Turkish government is needed to maintain Turkey's recovery as well as to carry out sweeping reforms sought by the European Union. Last week, over strong opposition from nationalists, parliament acceded to some of the EU demands by ending the death penalty and granting minority Kurds the right to use their own language in teaching and broadcasting.