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  • ANKARA: Democratic Initiative, Protocols With Armenia Likely To Be P

    DEMOCRATIC INITIATIVE, PROTOCOLS WITH ARMENIA LIKELY TO BE PRAISED IN EU PROGRESS REPORT

    Today's Zaman
    Sept 4 2009
    Turkey

    The European Commission's progress report on Turkey, which is
    expected to be released on Oct. 14, is likely to include praise for
    the government's democratic initiative involving the country's Kurds
    and the recent protocols announced between Turkey and Armenia.

    Based on information leaked to the Turkish media, the draft report
    focuses much of its attention on the Kurdish issue and the government's
    handling of it. It states that Turkey should implement the project as
    soon as possible in order to address the issue. The draft report also
    stresses that efforts must be made to achieve the broadest consensus
    possible throughout the society.

    Turkey should prepare a project as soon as possible to address the
    issue and find the most possible consensus in the society regarding
    how to address the problem, the draft report also stresses.

    Among the other positive steps taken by Turkey, the draft report
    discusses the Kurdish language broadcasts on TRT Å~^eÅ~_, the
    restructuring of the military courts and the appointment of a chief
    European Union negotiator on behalf of Turkey.

    The developments on Aug. 31 between Turkey and Armenia regarding the
    issue of opening the border and establishing diplomatic relations are
    not yet in the draft report, but the commission, which has welcomed
    the move and is preparing to add it to the report as another positive
    step, the Turkish media reported.

    The EU's enlargement chief, Olli Rehn, said on Wednesday that the
    EU has been pleased with Turkey's efforts regarding its "democratic
    initiative" and expects concrete steps to be taken in that regard.

    "I hope it [the democratic initiative] results in concrete steps that
    will address the cultural and linguistic rights of all Turkish people
    and strengthen the socioeconomic development of the Southeast," Rehn
    said in a speech he delivered to the European Parliament's Foreign
    Relations Committee, as quoted by the NTV news channel.

    Rehn also said they expect Turkey's reforms to improve the rule of
    law and basic freedoms.

    The draft report, which looks at the political criteria and examines
    the acquis communautaire, the EU's total body of law accumulated thus
    far, and how much of it Turkey has adopted in the last 12 months, also
    underlines Turkey's shortcomings. One deficiency is in regards to the
    Cyprus issue. As the European Commission will issue its opinion on
    the progress made by Turkey towards normalizing relations with the
    Greek Cypriots and in particular developments vis-a-vis extending
    its customs union, the issue is of high importance. So far it seems
    highly unlikely that a solution will be reached any time soon as the
    peace talks are going extremely slowly.

    The EU admitted Greek Cyprus into the EU in 2004 as a representative
    of the entire island, even though the island has long been divided
    into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north. Additionally,
    the Greek Cypriots rejected the United Nations-mediated Annan plan
    to reunify the island immediately prior to EU accession. Turkish
    Cypriots supported the same Annan plan in a simultaneous referendum,
    but the EU has not delivered what it promised, which was to ease
    the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and, as a result, Turkey has
    refused to open its air and sea ports to Greek Cypriot traffic.

    The EU suspended accession negotiations on eight chapters in 2006
    because of Turkey's stance and agreed to review the situation in 2009.

    Noting the present impasse, the draft report states that negotiations
    between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots continue and that no other
    chapters are planned to be suspended unless there is a demand from
    member states.

    Rehn said the 2009-2010 period requires a solution to the Cyprus
    problem and that José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European
    Commission, will do his best to help it happen.

    Another point the draft report makes is related to freedom of the press
    and freedom of expression, despite progressive changes in Article
    301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), used to prosecute writers and
    journalists for insulting Turkishness.

    Delays in the opening of Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary in Ä°stanbul
    and recognizing the patriarchate's "ecumenical" status are also noted
    in the draft in addition to relations with the military, which the
    report said do not approach EU standards.

    Rehn also gave some examples where Turkey lacked progress. These are
    the areas of "freedom of religion, freedom of expression, women's
    rights and union rights," he said, as reported by the Milliyet daily.
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