Catholics say EU must set conditions for Turkey
By Paul Taylor

BRUSSELS, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Roman Catholic bishops from across the
European Union questioned on Friday whether Turkey was ready to open
EU membership talks and said Brussels should set further human rights
conditions for starting negotiations.

The Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) said
there was no religious obstacle to the overwhelmingly Muslim nation
joining the EU, but Turkey must respect basic rights such as equality
for women and religious freedom.

“Therefore it must be asked whether it is appropriate to open
negotiations with Turkey, whilst fundamental rights including
religious freedom are not fully respected in that state,” they said
in a statement.

The prelates noted that the executive European Commission, in its
report on Turkey’s candidacy last month, had pointed to remaining
shortcomings but not linked the opening of talks to better respect
of those rights.

“The Bishops of COMECE propose that before negotiations… begin with
Turkey, the Turkish government is required to correct shortcomings
with regard to religious freedom and the legal status of minorities
according to the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne 1923,” the
statement said.

They urged EU leaders to include this provision in their decision
at a summit on Dec. 17 on whether and when to open accession talks
with Turkey.

The bishops said the question of starting accession talks with Turkey
was political, not religious.

They rejected wording that would have questioned more fundamentally
whether the EU could admit Turkey.

An initial draft of the statement seen by Reuters said EU leaders
should question “whether the European Union is capable in the medium
term of absorbing such a large country with Turkey’s history and
geostrategic position.”

The Lausanne Treaty recognises Christian Greeks, Armenians and Jews
as minorities with official status in the country.

The treaty does not mention Kurds, Circassians, Arabs or non-Sunni
Alevis as minorities. Human rights groups say the definition should
be widened to include them, but the Turkish government opposes this.

The Roman Catholic church has historically supported European
integration. Bishop Anton Stres of Slovenia noted it had played a
role in mobilising the ‘yes’ vote in referendums on accession in the
10 mainly east European states which joined the EU on May 1.

Asked whether the church would campaign for a ‘yes’ to the EU
constitution despite its failure to obtain a mention of God or
Europe’s Christian heritage, the bishops said the charter enshrines a
permanent dialogue between churches and other religious institutions
and EU institutions.

“We can express ourselves in favour of the pursuit of European
unification,” Stres said.

11/19/04 16:10 ET