di-ve, Malta
Dec 15 2004

EU parliament calls on EU leaders to open negotiations with Turkey

by di-ve news

STRASBOURG/MALTA–December 15, 2004 — 1105CET– European Parliament
called on EU leaders to open membership talks with Turkey “without
undue delay,” and urged Ankara to carry out more democratic reforms.

The European Parliament, meeting in Strasbourg, voted 407 to 262,
with 29 abstentions, to pass the resolution, which is non-binding but
nevertheless likely to influence leaders on the eve of a historic
summit in Brussels on Turkey’s membership application.

The parliament urged Turkey to meet demands for a “zero-tolerance”
approach to torture, which the legislature says is still being
carried out by authorities in Turkey.

The resolution also said the opening of negotiations would
“pre-suppose recognition by Turkey” of Cyprus, which joined the EU in
May.

The parliament also urged Turkey to acknowledge “the genocide
perpetrated against the Armenians” nearly a century ago.

Turkey has been accused of killing as many as 1.5 million Armenians
during a 1915-1923 campaign to force them from eastern Turkey. It
denies this.

The assembly rejected an amendment calling for the preparation of a
“special partnership” with Turkey as an alternative for membership, a
proposal pushed by French and German conservatives.