Europe Asks Turkey To Keep Its Promises

The European Parliament passes a report on Turkey. Although pleased with the imperfect 301 revision, it insists that major changes such as starting a development plan for southeastern Turkey should be implemented immediately.

Erol Önderoğlu

The European parliament (EP) passed a report on Turkey, prepared by the Christian Democrat deputy from Holland Ria Oomen-Ruijten, with 467 votes against 62. 61 members abstained. The report asks from Turkey to improve the freedom of expression according to the promises it made.

Pointing out to Turkey’s accomplishments, AP stated that they were pleased by the recent legal work and to hear the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s words that 2008 would be the year of reform.

CHP’s target Lagendijk was supported

The European deputies stated that they were worried about the excessive police violence during May Day in İstanbul. Slovenia’s foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel on behalf of the Council of European Union and Olli Rehn for the EU commission participated in today’s meetings that were right before the vote (May 21) as well.

The members of the political groups representing the whole political spectrum supported Joost Lagendijk of Dutch Greens, the co-chairperson of the EC-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission, who was the target of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, just a few weeks ago.

Asking Turkey to keep its promises, the report says, “More delay may affect the negotiations seriously.”

“Let the 301 revision be the first step”

Indicating that the 301 revision in the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) was seen as the first step of the basic reforms that will follow, the report underlined that the removal of article 301 and the other arrangements that restrict the freedom of expression secured by the international laws would be the best solution.

Pleased in seeing that democracy overcame the expectations of military intervention in the political affairs, the European Parliament said that it supported the government so that the democratically elected political leadership would make a more systematic effort to undertake the responsibility of arranging the internal and external policies.

EP added that the Turkish military should respect this responsibility by recognizing the civil control completely and decisively.

“The government should show political initiative in the Kurdish problem”

The Italian deputy Vittoria Agnoletto (EUL/NGL, IT) told that she would abstain in the vote since her group “found the Kurdish problem inadequate as far as its role is concerned”

The report asks the Turkish government to show political initiative that will support a permanent solution in the Kurdish problem; to accomplish this, a plan to support a socioeconomic and cultural development in southeastern Turkey may be devised.

To DTP: Put a distance between you and PKK

While not pleased with the law suits both against the 53 mayors for sending a letter to the Danish prime minister to keep Roj TV open and the Democratic Society Party (DTP) deputies for speaking Kurdish, and the sentence Leyla Zana received, the report also emphasized that the DTP deputies and mayors should put a distance between them and PKK”.

Asking PKK to declare ceasefire immediately and respect it afterwards, the report also wants Turkey to stop its Iraq operations that use excessive force. (EÖ/GG/TB)

Erol Önderoğlu

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İstanbul Üniversitesi Fransız Filolojisi Bölümü'nden mezun. 1996'da muhabiri olduğu uluslararası Sınır Tanımayan Gazeteciler (RSF) örgütünün Türkiye temsilcisi olarak çalışıyor. 1999'dan beri İPS İletişim Vakfı'nın projesi olan bianet sitesinde, Hukuki Destek Masası koordinatörü, ifade özgürlüğü editörü ve yayın yönetmeni olarak çalıştı. 4.800'den fazla imzalı haber ve makalesi bulunuyor. Bizim Gazete ve Güncel Hukuk dergisi için haber ve makaleler yazdı. Halen bianet'te Medya Gözlem Raporları'nı hazırlıyor.