TURKEY – SOME PROGRESS BUT CYPRUS AND KURDISH QUESTIONS REMAIN UNRESOLVED
EU-Turkey News Network
ABHaber
si.asp?id=19434
Oct 24 2007
Belgium
"With the perspective of Turkey’s accession to the EU on the horizon,
the European Commission and the Union as a whole are called upon in
the days to come to complete an assessment on the progress that Turkey
has or has not made in the various fields requiring harmonisation
with the acquis communautaire.
"Partial solutions cannot bring a result that either Turkey or
the European Union is expecting" GUE/NGL Cypriot MEP Kyriacos
Triantaphyllides said today during the European Parliament debate on
EU-Turkey relations.
"We should note that some progress has been achieved by Turkey;
however we repeat that in order for Turkey’s accession process to
move without any obstacles, Turkey must implement what all the other
former candidate countries carried out and comply with its conventional
obligations towards the EU as a whole. Turkey must also fulfil its
commitments towards Cyprus, such as the opening of its ports and
airports to the ships and aeroplanes of the Republic of Cyprus and
the lifting the veto to the participation of Cyprus in international
organisations and multilateral treaties" he continued.
Triantaphyllides maintained that encouraging Turkey’s path towards
the EU, which requires the parallel implementation of its obligations
towards the EU, could act as a lever of pressure for the protection of
human rights for the entire population of Turkey, including minorities
and the Kurds, and for the recognition of the Armenian genocide,
as well as the lifting of the closure of borders with Armenia ,
which has several socio-economic implications.
Regretting that today’s vote on the report on EU-Turkey relations
was overshadowed by the recent worrying developments, German GUE/NGL
MEP Feleknas Uca questioned Turkey’s motives in Northern Iraq and
emphasised that Turkey must not be allowed to breach international law.
"Last Wednesday, the Turkish national assembly gave the green light
for Turkish military action in Northern Iraq. Since then, we have
received news of violence on the Turkish-Iraqi border, of fierce
fighting, of Turkish shelling of Northern Iraqi villages, of attacks
on Kurdish facilities and DTP offices and of attempts at lynching
Kurdish citizens by angry nationalists" she explained.
"After the substantial progress towards reform made by Turkey, we
must now take account of new developments. This report is balanced
and fair in its evaluation and judgment" she said before attacking
the idea that a solution to the Kurdish question could be provided
by invading Northern Iraq.
She called for Europe to take its responsibility and play an active
role in the development of a solution strategy for the Kurdish
question.
"It is in this question that the means for the pacification and
democratisation of Turkey lies".