Zaman, Turkey
Oct 28 2006

PACE President Visits Turkish FM Abdullah Gul
By Zaman, Ankara
Friday, October 27, 2006
zaman.com

Rene van der Linden, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE), said he did not expect Turkey to have a
`train wreck’ in its EU accession process.

Noting that it was in the interest of both Turkey and Europe to
continue the reform process, Linden asked for Article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code to be amended and said, `Everyone in Turkey should
be able to speak their mind freely.’

Van der Linden met with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
Thursday. At a press conference where he made clear statements about
the recent developments and strongly criticized the French parliament
for passing a controversial bill criminalizing even questioning an
Armenian genocide, Linden remarked that he did not believe that the
Upper House would approve the bill, further noting: `This bill is a
mistake because while what we need here is reconciliation, it sets a
bad example in regard to the freedom of expression. This is a back
step from the freedom of expression.’

Remarking that Ankara must continue the reform process for full
membership, the PACE president said the following as regards to the
train crash metaphor: `I prefer not to use the term `train crash,’
because we have lately seen that some politicians invent terms to
ostracize the process. This is not advantageous for either Turkey or
Europe. Both parties should adopt a balanced approach. Sometimes I
see that Turkey is very frustrated.’

Also criticizing the veto system of the European Union, van der
Linden said, `There is no football team or music group where any
member can stop the entire process alone,’ adding that such a system
served only to slow down the decision-making process.

Linden also referred to the news that there was no one to welcome him
at the Istanbul airport when he arrived but the security guards: `It
stemmed from a misunderstanding,’ he said.