Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE~PRESS REVIEW~BERHEVOKAÇAPÊ~RIVISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
AMONG STATESWOMEIIl- Prime Minister Tansu Çiller receives the three chairwomen of the left-wing parties in the European Parliament.
Socialist Group leader Pauline Green, Cat,herine Lalumiere, head of the European Radical Alliance and Greens' leader Claudia Roth were
briefed by Çiller on democratization in Turkey. Photo TDN-Ceng;t UysaJ
European Parliament MPs arrive in Ankara'
-
Turkish Daily News
ANKARA- The chairwomen of three
left~wing g~oilP.s in the European
Parliament arrIved in Ankara on Tuesday to
discuss Turkish-European relations,
strained by human. rights issues and
prospects of democral1zatIon.
Soci~st GrouVleader Pauline Green and
Cathenne Lalurruere, head of the European
Radical Alliance, said upon arrival that
they were saddened by the weakness of ties
between Turkey and the European
Parliametlt, which will vote on a customs
union between Turkey and the Fifteen in
fall.
'
Lalumiere, a former secretary-general of
the European Parliament who has had close
ties with Turkey, said the end on May 2 of
Turkey's six-week incursion into northern
Iraq was welcome, but merely a' factor in
what she called the generally "saddening"
state of Turkey-Europe ties, ,
Green, whose Socialist group has 2,12
seats in the Euro-Parliament, said she
, hopedto meet Prime Minister Tansu Çiller,
some ministers and other parliamentarians
during their trip.
"Wewill have the opportunity to tell
them just how weak relations between the
European Parliament, the European Union
and Turkeyare at the moment," Green said.
She said they would be making enquiries
about democracy reforms urged by the
Wes~ and long-promised byAnkara.
The two politicians, accompanied by
Green group Chairwoman Claudia Roth,
paid a visit to the jailed deputies of the
Democracy Party Tuesday morning., '
"Those deputies want Turkey to be c1oser
to Europe. In fact, we all want Turkey' s
integration. But the conditi.ons should be
right for that," Green said after her tWO"
hour visit with the deputies.
Afterwards, the Euro-MPs arrived in the
Foreign Ministry fora briefing on human
rights.
'
Turkey's chances of getting European,
Parliament approval for the customs union,
is slim. Roth, visiting Turkey three months '
ago, said that the Greens, would vote
against the customs union until her eight- ,
point plan was met. Her points include '
restonng the parliamentar-y seats of the
jailed deputies.
The three Euro-MPs will visit Deputy
Prime Minister Hikmet çetin and Foreign
Minister Erdal lnönü today and leave
Turkeyafter a press conference.
Turkish deputies inch closer to voting rights at WED Assembly
Turkish
Daily News
ANKARA- The regulatory commission
'of the Western European Union (WEU)
Assembly approved a proposal to give
Turki.sh deputies the right ~o.vote in
Assembly meetings and corrumsslOns" the
Anatolia ne,w,s, agençy report~don
Wednesday.""
The proposal, known as the Firsberg
report, was prepared by Britain's Lord
Firsber~ \\I1dfores.ee(giving voting rights
to associated members of the WEU, namely
Turkey, Norway and Iceland. It was
approved by the commission despite resistance
from Greek, Italian, Spanish and
Belgian deputies,
Thl: F'irsberg'report will be pres,eptedtQ
the W£tJ Generlù Assembly forapprovaI at
the latter's meeting .on-June 19-20.1t envisages
granting associate members' deputies
full voting rights except in budget and
,annual report matters. '
, The Turkish deputies have boycotted
, WEU meetings SInce the beginning of
1994, saying they could not accept secondclass
membership.
Sait Kemal Mimaroglu,p~airm~ of the ,
Tu!kish Parliam~nt~rians'. O.f~U~,Cp¥~c- '
tenzed the cornrrusslOn's aeclSlonasa significant
development. "We'left our seats
empty in the Assembly to get to this point
We will attend meetings once the GeneraI
Assembly gives its approval," he said.
'.
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