Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-02-10-Speech-3-018"
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"en.20100210.8.3-018"2
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"Let me begin by warmly welcoming Commissioner Füle: congratulations on your appointment and I look forward to sound collaboration with you.
Mr President, I would like to thank all my fellow Members, whose constructive contributions to the report have made it possible for us to achieve a consensus in most areas. I would also like to reiterate that my aim as rapporteur for this Parliament is to bring about a situation where we send out a clear, balanced and coherent message. I believe that we can only do that if we seek out a broad majority together.
I actually have three messages for Turkey. First of all, and this is how the report begins, too, we have open debate, then there is the constitution and the enforcement of legislation. I will begin with open debate, democratic opening. From an entirely objective point of view, we welcome the broad debate that the Turkish Government initiated last year in respect of the rights of Kurds, the Alevi, the role of the army, and so on.
However, Mr President, the judgment from the Constitutional Court last December ensured that terrorist attacks would take place once again. There was a wave of arrests of Democratic Society Party (DTP) members, and the threat of arrest still hangs over members of the Turkish Parliament. The open and positive debate that there had been since the summer thus seems likely to come to a premature end as a result. Of course, Mr President, as a representative of the people, I have respect for legal verdicts, but I also understand that the Constitutional Court has also said of the prohibition of political parties that Turkey should now enthusiastically engage with what has been recommended by the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission. I ask Turkey, then, to do so, to ensure that this kind of unfortunate situation does not arise again.
Mr President, that brings me to another verdict by the Court, namely the annulment of the law restricting the jurisdiction of the military court. As parliamentarians, we are in no position to criticise the judgment, but it does show, once again, that the basis of these judgments, the constitution, is inadequate, in the sense that – and I need to word this carefully – in any case, it gives grounds for such judgments to be made. That is why we are all calling, once again, for Turkey to bring forward a revision of its constitution without delay, as that is the only thing that can bring about the real reforms that are so necessary to modernise Turkish society.
Mr President, my third, fundamental point concerns the implementation and the enforcement of legislation that has been adopted. In the areas of women’s rights, freedom of religion and the maltreatment of criminal suspects, the standards laid down also need to be complied with throughout Turkey. Mr President, I am therefore calling for additional attention to be paid to enforcement.
I will turn now to the amendments. On Cyprus, I attempted to reach a clear and broad-based compromise with the shadow rapporteurs. Turkey needs to know that the supplementary protocol that has been agreed must be accepted without delay. In paragraph 34, I have called on all parties to ensure that a solution is reached in respect of the division of Cyprus. With this paragraph, then, I am specifically asking Turkey to send out positive signals.
Mr President, we emphasise, in a new paragraph 48, that both leaders must be encouraged to have courage in order to reach a solution for the island soon. This is absolutely necessary. I would say to Mrs Cornelissen that, although your amendment about violence against women is probably a little redundant, the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) will also, as expected, support it.
Mr President, finally, I would like to reiterate, once again, that, this year, too, my aim is to produce a report that offers a very clear message that is critical, but also balanced. It is my belief that, if we adopt this report with a large majority, we will also be finding a good solution for Turkey in modernising the country and making it prosperous for all of its citizens."@en1
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