EU CHAMBER CENSURES TURKEY ON RIGHTS
United Press International
Sept 27 2006
STRASBOURG, France, Sept. 27 (UPI) — The European Parliament,
meeting in France, approved a report Wednesday criticizing Turkey
for not doing enough to meet European Union membership criteria.
The chamber voted 429-71 in favor of the report, with 125 delegates
abstaining.
The report criticizes Turkey’s human rights shortcomings, but does
not call on Turkey to officially recognize as genocide the forced mass
evacuation and related deaths of Armenians by Ottoman Turks from 1915
to 1917.
Armenians have pushed for such recognition, claiming more than 1.5
million died in what some call the Armenian Holocaust.
Turkey vehemently denies the deaths were genocide.
The report calls on Turkey to increase reforms around freedom of
expression, religious rights, women’s rights, labor unions, minority
rights, cultural rights and judicial independence, the EU Observer
reports.
The report also expresses hope Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit
to Turkey will "contribute to strengthening inter-religious and
intercultural dialogue between the Christian and Muslim world."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
