Zaman, Turkey
Sept 25 2004

Now Commission Defends Turkey

Selcuk Gultasli
Brussels

The European Union (EU) said that the purported systematic killing of
Armenians by the Turkish Army would not be a criterion when
considering Turkey for membership. The EU Commission defended
Ankara’s attempts at curbing human rights abuses and said that the
country has passed a crucial threshold.

Jean-Christophe Filori, a Spokesman for the EU Enlargement
Commissioner Gunter Verheugen, said that Turkey’s efforts to include
Kurdish culture in its daily life is an example of Turkey’s
continuing success at human rights reform. He pointed out that
Kurdish people are now able to make TV and radio broadcasts in their
language. He added, “There are some things that still need to be
done; but the improvements are positive.”

Filori acknowledged the delicacy of the Armenia issue but firmly
stated that it would not influence the EU’s decision, nor would its
resolution be a condition for negotiations with Turkey.

When a journalist said that the future Commission President, Jose
Manuel Barroso, thought Turkey was not ready for the membership, but
the commission showed an inclination to release a positive progress
report, the Spokesman became angry and told the reporter that he was
confusing the two issues. Filori said that presently, Turkey is being
considered for negotiations, not membership.