Yilmaz forms government

President Suleyman Demirel approved the formation of a new Turkish government headed by Mesut Yilmaz. Ten days of lobbying in Turkey's finely balanced parliament had convinced Mr Yilmaz - who leads the conservative- minded Motherland Party - that he has majority support for a coalition to unite most of Turkey's secular political parties. He is prime minister for the third time.

Mr Demirel asked him to form a government after the resignation of Necmettin Erbakan, the Islamist leader unseated under pressure from the army and True Path Party coalition partners. Christopher de Bellaigue - Ankara