Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-04-Speech-3-163"
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"en.20030604.4.3-163"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Atatürk legacy is double-edged and somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand there is the secular state, on the other the strong position of the Turkish army reflected in the power of the National Security Council, which implies military power over civilians. In a real democracy, this should actually be the other way round.
How can the secular state in Turkey be maintained and democracy established? The army cannot be the ultimate guarantee for democracy, so far-reaching reforms are called for here. As is abundantly clear from the Oostlander report, the country is not yet a democracy as long as human rights are violated and as long as the rights of minorities are not absolutely guaranteed. Torture is a matter of daily practice. The position of the Kurdish language, the exclusion of the Kurds from political life, or at least the attempt to exclude them, is evidence of the fact that they do not want a political solution to this important conflict of nationalities. The threat of fundamentalism remains, although the AKP has adopted a reformist policy. We recognise that major progress has been made in legislation, such as the abolition of capital punishment, but far-reaching reforms have not yet been carried out.
In paragraph 11 of the Oostlander report, it is suggested that serious work be done on constitutional matters. Needless to say, this cannot be a condition, but it is still worthwhile to suggest that a new constitution be put in place, one that makes room for human rights, but also for the autonomous Kurdish community, and one in which the position of minorities is safeguarded."@en1
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