The European Parliament has adopted a report warning that the pace of
reform in Turkey has slowed, jeopardising Ankara’s EU membership bid.
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian <asbed@usc.edu>
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But MEPs dropped a clause demanding that Turkey recognise as
"genocide" the mass killings of Armenians in 1915.

Turkey maintains that the Armenians were casualties of turmoil as the
Ottoman empire crumbled. Armenians say up to 1.5 million died in a
"genocide".

The non-binding report said Turkey had failed to ensure freedom of
expression.

It called for the abolition or amendment of Turkish laws such as
Article 301 "which threaten European free speech norms".

Article 301 of the Turkish penal code has been used to prosecute
several well-known authors for "insulting Turkishness".

Cyprus deadlock

The MEPs also called on Turkey to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and
lift its embargo on Cypriot ships and planes, saying continued failure
to do so "will have serious implications for the [EU] negotiation
process and could even bring it to a halt".

The report was adopted by 429 votes in favour to 71 against, with 125
abstentions.

It said the European Parliament "regrets the slowing down of the
reform process" in Turkey, though it welcomed some recent Turkish
steps to crack down on torture and corruption and to extend women’s
rights.

On the Armenian question, MEPs said Turkey must come to terms with its
past, although recognition of the "genocide" was not a condition for
EU accession.

The European Commission is to publish its next annual report on
Turkey’s progress on 8 November.

The parliament’s report came a day after Bulgaria and Romania were
given the go-ahead to join the EU on 1 January 2007.

In Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the EU
against introducing any new entrance criteria.

Last Updated: Wednesday, 27 September 2006, 16:04 GMT 17:04 UK