I will not resign, says Ecevit

Ecevit says his health is now good

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit says he does not intend to step down, despite suffering from poor health.

The 77-year-old premier, who was hospitalised twice in May and has been recovering at home since then, has faced mounting calls to resign.

On Sunday, Turkey's nationalist Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli called for an early general election to be held in November.

Bahceli was quoted by state-run Anatolian news agency as saying parliament, now in summer recess, should hold an extraordinary session on September 3 and vote to hold early elections.

Financial markets have been hit by fears that his illnesses could lead to a political vacuum at a time when Turkey is trying to implement economic reforms tied to $30 billion in International Monetary Fund loans.

"I have no intention to resign at this time," Ecevit told CNN Turk on Sunday.

"For me to resign I would have had to have made mistakes, acted in a way that would have hurt Turkey.

"Just the opposite ... this three-way government has brought solutions to long-outstanding issues facing Turkey."

Ecevit cited progress the left-right government had made in winning European Union candidacy in 1999 and lowering chronic inflation to drag Turkey out of its worst recession since 1945.

But divisions have deepened within the governing coalition over political reforms Turkey must tackle to meet EU standards.

The government's nationalist wing has refused to support moves to abolish the death penalty and expand cultural rights for Turkey's 12 million Kurds.

Some analysts have said the markets might now prefer that the prime minister appoint a successor and step down before political uncertainty further undermines economic recovery.

"I don't understand this logic," Ecevit said when asked about the market reaction to his two-month illness.

"When a country's prime minister is recovering from illness, this should affect the economy positively, not negatively ... I think the recent rise in (debt) yields come from other, not very rational or reasonable causes," he said.

"I want to know what my failure is, why I need to resign."

Ecevit has been premier five times, which he said had taught him to realise when it was time to go.

"I've stepped down when I've seen it was the necessary period for me to resign. Therefore, there is no need for anyone to remind me when to resign," he said.

Ecevit is recovering from circulatory problems, a spinal disorder, a cracked rib and a neuromuscular condition.

He said his health was now good, but his spinal problem would need more weeks to heal.

"I hope to receive within a few days approval from my doctors to freely return to all activities," he said.