THEIR leaders have met officially no less than six times for a total of 20 hours since the December general elections, but no final agreement on the formation of a coalition government has yet been reached between the Islamist Welfare Party (Refah) and the centre right Motherland party (ANAP).
Behind the smiles and declarations of good intentions, the level of mistrust between the two parties is such that they cannot agree in principle on an alliance until they have signed a watertight contract negotiated down to the smallest details.
Tension between the potential partners was rising as party officials met again on Wednesday and yesterday, during the week long holiday marking the end of Ramadan, to try to thrash out an accord on the division of ministerial portfolios. The atmosphere had been soured by a war of words launched on Wednesday by the ANAP leader, Mr Mesut Yilmaz, who said in an interview that Refah had no choice but to accept the conditions laid out by his party, which came third in the elections.
His arrogant sounding statements have angered the Islamists, who came first in the December poll. Earlier in the week, Refah had rejected Mr Yilmaz's proposal to set up a short term ANAP minority government that would rule until the coalition talks are concluded. However, the Welfare Party agreed to let Mr Yilmaz have first go in a rotating premiership until the end of 1996.
Further difficulties are looming. Mr Yilmaz appears to take it for granted that in order to reassure the army and the secular minded majority of Turks, most of the main ministries Finance, Interior, Foreign, Defence should be taken by A NAP.
But while the Islamists see less glamorous ministries with bigger payrolls, such as Agriculture and Health, as important tools of political patronage, they also intend fight their fair share of power. They are bargaining to get at least one ministry that will get them a seat, next to the armed forces, in the all powerful National Security Council. They also want a say in the flow of public funds, either through the Finance ministry or through responsibility for big state banks.
It is perhaps symptomatic of Turkish political life that the parties are busy dividing the spoils of power before they have actually agreed on a government programme.
Mr Neemettin Erbakan, the Refah leader, who has generally refrained from making controversial statements since the election, said the Islamists "would not sideline" their own party programme. He repeated his belief that the Customs Union deal concluded between Turkey and Europe was unacceptable and that it would be revised if his party came to power.
