Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-04-01-Speech-4-040"
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"en.20040401.2.4-040"2
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"Madam President, Helmut Kohl was recently asked on German television what he thought about the accession of Turkey. His answer made reference to the Copenhagen criteria. Even after the reporter put many more questions to him, he did not say ‘no’ to Turkish accession. I think he was right. As Turkey has been promised accession for 40 years, anything else would only unsettle the people on the Bosphorus and the overall political climate in Europe as well. Parliament should therefore not adopt anything that would constitute an obstacle to the accession option; it follows that several motions that have been tabled should not be allowed to pass.
Quite clearly, the ball is in the Turkish court. The Turks must demonstrate compliance with the Copenhagen criteria. We can see that much has been done, but not yet enough. There is still a long way to go on the road to democracy, to the rule of law, to freedom, and, as regards the last of these, our express concern has been for Turkey’s minorities, especially the Kurds. Much has been set down in black and white, but it is not yet working in practice – in schools, in television, or when it comes to the use of their language. I get letters from members of the public, complaining about the arbitrary treatment they receive from the police and the justice system – a grim business to which Turkey must put an end! Their police and justice systems are not democratic; there is much still to be done here.
I also believe that all power must be in the hands of the civil institutions, and that the armed forces must go where they belong – to their barracks. It cannot be acceptable that the armed forces, the National Security Council, should have the upper hand when decisions are taken in Turkey.
I agree with Commissioner Verheugen’s assessment that Turkey has made a start on a major project of reform. For an Islamic country, a constitution based on democratic and liberal principles is also a major experiment, and something that we should support. So, instead of saying ‘no’, we should leave the door of opportunity open to further reforms and vote accordingly later on."@en1
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