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ANKARA: EU Set To Praise Gul, Criticize Gov't, Military, Judiciary

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  • ANKARA: EU Set To Praise Gul, Criticize Gov't, Military, Judiciary

    EU SET TO PRAISE GUL, CRITICIZE GOV'T, MILITARY, JUDICIARY

    Today's Zaman
    Oct 29 2008
    Turkey

    The European Union will praise President Abdullah Gul for his
    conciliatory role in politics but criticize the government for not
    presenting a comprehensive reform plan despite its repeated commitments
    to the EU reform process.

    In an annual progress report due to be released on Nov. 5 the European
    Union Commission also complains the military still continued to state
    opinions on political and foreign policy issues that go beyond its
    remit and similarly criticized senior members of the judiciary who
    made statements that can raise questions on their future impartiality.

    The EU report praised President Gul for playing a conciliatory role
    between political actors and his active participation in foreign policy
    making, noting his landmark visit to Armenia in September with a view
    to normalize relations with this estranged neighbor.

    On the government, however, the report's tone was tougher, complaining
    that, although it expressed commitment to the reforms, it has not
    put forward "a consistent and comprehensive program of reforms"
    to bring Turkey closer to the EU. It also complained of "lack of
    dialogue and spirit of compromise between the main political parties"
    and added that the closure cases against the Justice and Development
    Party (AK Party) and the Democratic Society Party (DTP) affected to
    a considerable extent the work of Parliament.

    "A new impetus now needs to be given to reform in order to strengthen
    democracy and human rights," the report said.

    It noted that the government has proposed to draft a new constitution
    to expand civil freedoms but added that no draft has been presented
    to the public and that no timetable has been set for discussion.

    The report mentioned a closure case against the ruling AK Party and
    the pro-Kurdish DTP. A chief prosecutor applied to the Constitutional
    Court seeking in separate cases the closure of the AK Party on charges
    of becoming a "focal point for anti-secular activities" and of the DTP
    on charges of engaging in activities against the unity and integrity
    of the country. The court narrowly ruled not to close the AK Party
    in July, while the case against the DTP is still pending.

    The EU said the court decision not to close the AK Party helped avert
    a serious political crisis and "should provide fresh opportunities to
    restore dialogue and spirit of compromise between political parties."

    The report also touched on an investigation into a shadowy network
    believed to have plotted to sow chaos in preparation for a military
    coup. It took note of complaints during the course of the investigation
    "regarding the insufficient safeguarding of the rights of defense
    and excessive duration of detention without indictment."

    On civilian oversight of military, the EU said the government exerted
    control over the military in the context of cross-border operations
    against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq
    but complained that the armed forces have continued to exert influence
    on politics through a series of formal and informal ways. "Senior
    members of the armed forces have expressed their opinion on domestic
    and foreign policy issues going beyond their remit, including on
    Cyprus, the Southeast, secularism and other non-military developments,"
    the draft report said.

    It further said that laws granting wide room for maneuver to the
    military by providing a broad definition of the national security,
    namely the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) Internal Service Law and Law on
    the National Security Council (MGK), have not been changed. Similarly,
    the 1997 EMASYA secret protocol on security, public order and
    assistance units remains in force unchanged, the report said,
    allowing the "military operations to be carried out for internal
    security matters under certain conditions without a request from the
    civilian authorities."

    The draft report noted that an internal military memorandum leaked
    to the press identified NGOs that have received financial assistance
    from foreign organizations including the EU and that the memorandum
    has not been denied by the military.

    Contrary to last year, the report did not mention a military
    classification of media institutions that results in effective
    exclusion of certain newspapers and television stations from military
    news sources.

    The progress report expresses concern over the impartiality of the
    judiciary as well. "On some occasions, senior members of the judiciary
    made public political comments which may compromise their impartiality
    in future cases," said the draft document. It noted the transfer to
    a military court of a civil case involving army officers accused of
    attacking a local bookstore in the southeastern town of Å~^emdinli.

    On corruption, it complained of limited progress and said corruption
    remains a widespread issue.

    Regarding torture, the report noted that Justice Minister Mehmet Ali
    Å~^ahin publicly apologized after death of leftist activist Engin
    Ceber following torture in detention, but complained that impunity for
    human rights violations still remains a concern. According to the EU,
    "There have been limited efforts as regards the prevention of torture
    and ill-treatment."

    The report noted changes to the Article 301 of the Turkish Penal
    Code (TCK), which the EU said restricts freedom of expression, but
    complained that the wording still remains largely the same and that
    the revised form, which requires prior authorization from the justice
    minister to open cases on the basis of Article 301, raises concerns
    that the article will be subject to political considerations. Articles
    215, 216 and 217 of the TCK and the Anti-Terror Law were also mentioned
    as sources of concern for freedom of expression.

    The EU raised frequent bans on popular Internet sites as well,
    saying they are "disproportionate in scope and duration." Ban on
    video sharing site YouTube was cited in particular.

    On religious freedoms, the EU highlighted a government initiative to
    reach out to Alevis but said the initiative was not followed through on
    and that the Alevis continue to face the same problems as before. It
    also complained of compulsory religious classes in schools, saying
    this was not the case before the entry into force of the current
    Constitution, drafted by a military regime.

    Praise for Turkey's regional role

    In addition to criticism, the EU report also noted that Turkey's
    importance to the EU has increased in the areas of energy, and regional
    security and conflict prevention in the Caucasus. The EU reforms, it
    said, makes Turkey "a stronger force for stability" in the volatile
    region, which witnessed a Russian-Georgian war over the breakaway
    region of South Ossetia in August.

    It said Turkey had played a "constructive role" in the Caucasus and
    the Middle East by proposing a Caucasus cooperation platform after
    the August crisis; by mediating peace talks between Israel and Syria;
    and by starting dialogue with Armenia with President Gul's visit
    in September.

    --Boundary_(ID_zz4+4Z/YOikYxvRdvFuGpQ) --
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