Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 15 2008

Van der Linden calls for action on 301, minority rights

The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) has repeated European calls for more reforms by Turkey,
particularly by amending an infamous article of the Turkish Penal
Code (TCK).

PACE President Rene van der Linden, on a three-day visit to Turkey,
met yesterday with President Abdullah Gül and Parliament Speaker
Köksal Toptan in Ankara. Speaking at a press conference after talks
with Toptan, Linden said he was confident that the Turkish
authorities would continue with reforms. But he called for "more
attention" to the issue of Article 301 of the TCK, which the EU says
restricts freedom of expression, and asked for more effort to improve
rights and freedoms for minorities.
The PACE president said the 47-nation Council of Europe, of which
Turkey is also a member, supported Turkey’s membership in the EU,
provided that it meets the entry criteria, and called Turkey a "very
important member of the European family," noting that it shares the
same values as the rest of the Council of Europe member states. He
also praised the Turkish efforts to improve intercultural dialogue.

The government is under pressure from the EU to change or remove
Article 301, under which several prominent Turkish intellectuals,
including slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, landed in
court for "insulting Turkishness." The government had pledged to
bring an amendment proposal to Parliament last week, but it was
postponed amid a reported rift among Cabinet members on the content
of the proposed changes.

Van der Linden, responding to a question on an ongoing closure case
against Turkey’s leading pro-Kurdish party, the Democratic Society
Party (DTP), voiced opposition to the closure, saying political
parties are an important element of the democratic system but also
warning the DTP to abide by established rules. He also stated that a
debate on the DTP case was likely to take place in PACE.

The DTP is facing a closure suit for alleged links with the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The party is frequently criticized in
Turkey and in the EU for not clearly distancing itself from the PKK.

15.01.2008