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Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
ELÏF SEMÏHA KÜFLÜ
Ankara- Turkish Daily News
• The outspoken European Parliament's
Greens Group leader Claudia Roth, who
drew storms of criticism iil Ankara once
again over human rights issues, described
her day on Tuesday, a day that made it to
the front page of every Turkish paper, as
"a typical day in Turkeyfor me," to the
TON in an exclusive interview.
Roth, who has been working on projects
related to Turkey for 10 years, says
she will continue to interfere with
Turkey's internal affairs so long as they
are connected to human rights, adding
that, "According to the U.N. Human
Rights resolutions that we adhere to, no
government has theright to defend .
hùman rights violations in its country as
internal affairs." Roth states this logic
was imported from France, and that
"President Chirac always said that this is
interfering with Turkey' s internal affairs,
and we cannot accept this." Roth, leader
of the Gt~ens Party which is represented
by 50 seats in Germany and much fewer
in the European Parliament, exerts more
influence with her words in Turkey than
in Germany.
She criticized Çiller and the current
Turkish government at the opening session
of the Turkey-European Union Joint
Parliamentary CommissIOn (JPC) on
Tuesday, listing convictions and imprisonments
related to freedom of speech in
Turkey, and asked Çiller, "How does it
feel, as a woman, to be in a cabinet where
a minister boasts about having three
wives and living in polygamy?" words
Çiller reacted to as interference in the
interna] affairs of the country.
Sipping a glass of Turkish tea, Roth confirms
that Çiller has totally lost the vote
of confidence of the entire European
Parliament, and said that she had
betrayed everyone in Europe who
believed in her and her promises, when
she said "yes" to a coalition
with the Islamist
Welfare Party.
"She even fooled
Chancellor Kohl, who presented
her to the press, and
Turkish Daily News Thursday, April17. 1997
European MP Roth won't give up on Turkey
Roth, criticized by Ankara for
her interference in domestic issues,
says she will continue to voice
her concerns on human rights
violations and democratization
in Turkey
J\.1.inisterTansu Çiller. Roth was singled
out by the media as an outspoken parliamentarian,
but all parliamentarians criticized
Çiller and, in connection with her,
Turkey" 5 thick human rights portfolio.
in a wav 'crowned her or
carried -her to the throne.' I Xenophobia in Europe
personally never believed Noting that she and her party were totally
in a politician who made against racism and actions in Europe to
lots of promises," said reject Turkey's EU meml:1ership bid on
Roth.
Roth indicated that
the grounds of religion and culture. Roth
stated;"We-föught
when Ciller introduced
against racism, and it
herself as a guarantor of was one of the reasons
the secular system and a
fighter against the Welfare
for our founding. How
can the EU identify
Party, "I reminded my col-
itself with this attileagues
that they shouldn't
tude? I believe there is
compare the Ayatollah in
Tehran with.the Welfare
a racist attitude in
Europe towards Turks,
Party since they are not the
and that religion is a
same, and that Çiller had
hidden criterion for
always played thatcard."
EU membership.
Roth recalled that the
Although it was never
Germans had pressuredexpressed
in words,
Turkey to be in the cus-
many European parliatoms
union at the time, butmentarians
that she had voted "no'.' on
accepted it.
Even the Sociahst
Turkey' s admission,
Group' s parliamentariexplaining
that she did soans didn't say it, but
because the treaty was "a
compromising and bad one
thought it. The
announcement wasn't
for Turkey" and that thisa
big surprise for me,
would only mean "a posi-as
Mierlo had said
tive vote for the status
quo" of human rights vio-
'The EU is a Christian
club'." .
lations in Turkey.
The European
Roth prepared and
.defended a report for
Parliament later froze mil- the European
lions of dollars worth of Parliament on xeno-
CU credits available to
phobia within EU
Turkey due to the human
countries.
rights situation. .
Roth said that Çiller
"I think this is the
unexpressed reason
hasn't gained any credibil- that Turkey is kept
.ity nationally since . apart from the other
Susurluk and that "every- -
where you look, she is involved. I wonprospective
member
.countries, although
der, how long can she survive? She and Turkey is better than
Erbakan are a difficult couple." Roth also ;most of those Eastern
said that "she hasn't acted" well in the .European countries in
situation where one of her deputies called many areas, including
her and other women European
Parliament deputies "whores",a case
the economy."
Roth confirmed that
which is still going on.
The stormy session at the 40th meeting
the blaming of foreigners
for everything was
of the :r.u~key-EU JPC showed ~isbelief 'done by politicians
and cntlclsm toward Deputy Pnme who totally misuse the
. .. issue to cover up their
mablhty to find solutions to grave eco-
~~mic problems in Germany. "They say
It IS not the government that is responsibl~,
but my Turkish neighbor." Roth also
said that the depiction of Turks in Der
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