Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-06-Speech-4-127"
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"en.20060406.23.4-127"2
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".
Mr President, the Commission is concerned about the events occurring in the south-east of Turkey and about the outbursts of violence and terrorist attacks that have spread to other cities in the country. We are closely following the situation.
According to the information available to the Commission, an outburst of violence started on 28 March, in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir following the funeral of PKK members. May I remind honourable Members that the PKK is included in the European Union’s list of terrorist organisations.
The first victims were reported on 29 March in Diyarbakir and other fatalities were reported in the following days throughout the region. Over the weekend, riots also spread to Istanbul, where a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a crowded city bus. Three civilians were killed. Since then other fatalities have been reported, including among the security forces.
Let me be clear, the European Union unequivocally condemns terrorism. The PKK is a terrorist organisation. We are deeply concerned about its recent activities in Turkey. We feel that we are victims of these terrorist acts. But at the same time, we deeply deplore human casualties and call on the Turkish authorities to shed light on those events, through a comprehensive investigation, and to make sure that the security forces show the necessary strength in face of the demonstrators.
The people in the south-east of Turkey do not need violence and confrontation; they need peace, stability and prosperity. We urge the Turkish Government to address in a comprehensive manner – and not only from the security point of view – the problems of this region and of its people, who are for the most part of Kurdish origin.
The Turkish Government should take action with a view to enhancing and ensuring economic, social and cultural opportunities for all Turkish citizens. In this respect, we look forward to the follow-up of Prime Minister Erdogan’s speech in August 2005. The Commission recalls and stresses that under the Copenhagen political criteria, Turkey must ensure cultural diversity and promote the cultural rights of all its citizens as set out in the revised Accession Partnership adopted by the Council in January 2006.
It is also important that Turkey facilitates the return of internally displaced people to their original settlements, ensures fair compensation for those who have suffered loss and damage as a result of the security situation, and addresses the abolition of the village guard system.
We will continue to monitor the situation in the south-east. We will raise these issues with the Turkish authorities as part of our regular monitoring of the political criteria. I am looking forward to a very interesting debate."@en1
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