Turkey to remain pro-West

Islamic leaders vow to maintain stance AFTER a landslide victory in Turkey’s elections, a party with Islamic roots yesterday pledged to maintain the nation’s pro-Western stance, quickly moving to soothe worries that the crucial ally would undergo a radical shift toward Islam.

The Justice and Development Party won a parliamentary majority in yesterday's elections the first time in 15 years that any party has been in a position to govern alone largely due to voter anger over a devastated economy.

The win could concern Turkey's powerful and firmly secular military, which in the past forced a pro-Islamic government from power. However, the victorious Justice party stressed it didn't want confrontation.