Written by Farnaz FASSIHI and Andrew HIGGINS - The Wall Street Journal
Thursday, 31 July 2008
Turkey's highest court struck down an attempt to outlaw the country's Islamic-rooted governing party Wednesday, averting for now a political crisis that could have destabilized a key Western ally in the Middle East.
Members of Turkey's ruling party have expressed relief after the country's top court narrowly rejected calls for the party and its leaders, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, to be banned from politics.