Anatolian Times, Turkey
Oct 26 2006

Council of Europe official backs Turkey’s EU bid

ANKARA – The European Union and Turkey should work to resolve their
differences because a possible disruption of Ankara’s accession talks
would be "in no one’s interest," the president of the Council of
Europe’s parliamentary assembly said here Thursday.
"I belive that both the EU and Turkey have very important interests
in this process," Rene van der Linden, a Dutch Christian Democrat,
said in an interview with NTV television after talks with Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul.

In comments on EU criticism that Turkey had alarmingly slackened its
reform drive over the past year, Van der Linden urged Brussels to
take into account that Ankara’s progress, albeit slow, was "in the
right direction."

"There should be a balanced approach… The EU should encourage
Turkey’s reforms so that Turkey can have confidence in this
(accession) process," he said. "A disruption (in the talks) will be
in no one’s interest — neither in the EU nor Turkey."

Van der Linden expressed hope that a row over Turkey’s rejection to
grant trade priviliges to Cyprus would be resolved and urged Ankara
to make efforts to ensure freedom of expression.

He denounced a draft law voted at the lower chamber of the French
parliament on October 12 that forsees a year in jail for anyone who
denies that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians during
World War I as a "contradiction" to European values of free speech.

But at the same time, he stressed, Ankara should ensure that those
who say the genocide did happen are not prosecuted in Turkey.

A string of intellectuals, among them the winner of the 2006 Nobel
Literature Prize, Orhan Pamuk, have been put on trial for
"denigrating Turkishness" over remarks contesting the official line
on the 1915-17 massacres, which Ankara fiercely denies constituted
genocide.

The Council of Europe is not an EU institution, but it is also
closely watching Turkey’s respect for human rights.

The EU will issue on November 8 a crucial report on the country’s
progress towards membership, which will largely determine the future
of its accession talks.