LAW ON HOW TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES ARE TO BE CARRIED OUT IN EXTRAORDINARY SITUATIONS AND DURING WARTIME

Law No:697

Adopted on:16/07/1965

Official Gazette:26/07/1965 – 12058

Article 1 – Directorates General of State Airports Authority, Turkish State Railways Authority, Postal, Telegram and Telephone Agency, which are involved in transportation and communication activities as well as the Corporations of Maritime Bank, Marine Shipment and Turkish Airlines and establishments and partnerships, more than half of whose stocks are held by them, which they have set up for the purposes of providing such services, and those establishments already set up or to be set up by the State, who holds more than half of their stock capital, for the provision of transportation and communication services shall carry on such services in extraordinary situations and during times of war under the directives and coordination of the Ministry of Transportation in accordance with the rules outlined below.

Article 2 – Transportation and communication plans to be implemented in extraordinary situations and during wartime shall be developed in the peacetime by the Chief of General Staff for the needs of Turkish Armed Forces, by the Ministry of Transportation or jointly for the needs of the state departments and establishments as well as the public needs, in consultation with the Chief of General Staff and in collaboration with the relevant authorities.

Article 3 – For the purposes of ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted implementation of the plans developed under the above article 2, the procedure to be implemented for leaving vehicles, materials, facilities, factories and workshops, as may be considered necessary, to departments, organizations, establishments and partnerships falling under this Law, or for allocating vehicles, materials, facilities, factories, workshops and personnel to their services shall be jointly determined by the ministries of National Defense, Internal Affairs and Transportation, provided that the opinion of the Chief of General Staff is obtained.

Article 4 – The power to perform transportation and communication operations supervision in the whole or part of critical operations areas or managing such places through special teams, where deemed necessary, during extraordinary situations and times of war shall be vested in Turkish Armed Forces by the Ministry of Transportation upon a request of the Chief of General Staff.

Turkish Armed Forces shall utilize transportation and communication facilities and locations for military reasons during peacetime upon a Council of Ministers resolution.

Article 5 – Departments, organizations, establishments and partnerships falling under this Law shall meet the costs required by the services they are to conduct during extraordinary situations and times of war in accordance with the plans laid down in Article 2 by their own resources. However, where financial capabilities of such organizations do not suffice to carry out the developed plans, necessary appropriations for the uncovered sections of the plan shall be allotted in the general budget of that year. The manner of the expending of such appropriations shall be jointly decided by the ministries of National Defense, Transportation and Finance.

Article 6 – During extraordinary situations and wars, where available appropriations do not suffice and the time is not enough for the obtainment of new appropriations, Council of Ministers shall be entitled to implement Article 58 of the General Accounting Act in order to ensure uninterrupted fulfillment of transportation and communication activities under the directives and coordination of the Ministry of Transportation.

Article 7 – Implementing rules for this Law shall be set out by the Council of Ministers.

Article 8 – Law No. 4655 and other provisions in contradiction with this Law shall be repealed.

Article 9 – This Law shall enter into force on the date of its publication.

Article 10 – This Law shall be enforced by the Council of Ministers.