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ANKARA: Controversial EP Report on Turkey Faces Voting Next Week

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  • ANKARA: Controversial EP Report on Turkey Faces Voting Next Week

    Controversial EP Report on Turkey Faces Voting Next Week
    By Cihan News Agency

    Zaman, Turkey
    Sept 22 2006

    Friday, September 22, 2006
    zaman.com

    The controversial report on Turkey prepared by Dutch rapporteur Camiel
    Eurlings will be discussed and voted on in the European Parliament
    (EP) General Assembly next week.

    The draft report on Turkey's progress towards accession to the EU and
    the reforms is to be discussed in the European parliament on Tuesday.

    The provision, making the recognition of so-called Armenian, Pontus
    Greek and Syriac genocides a precondition for Turkey's EU membership,
    is expected to be removed from the draft with motions. Certain
    amendments are also expected to be made on the Cyprus issue in favor
    of Turkey, a diplomatic source said.

    The report will be discussed on Tuesday afternoon and the European
    Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn will attend the meeting. The
    voting of the report is to take place on Wednesday.

    Earlier this month, the EP Foreign Affairs Committee approved Camiel
    Eurlings' report on Turkey. The report called on Turkey to recognize
    the alleged killing of Armenians during WWI as genocide and to open
    its ports to Greek Cypriot traffic.

    The Turkish foreign ministry rejected the report, saying that it
    lacked common sense and smacked of political bias.

    The draft report insists that there are persistent shortcomings in
    areas such as freedom of expression, religious, minority and women's
    rights in Turkey.
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