Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 16 March 2006 - Strasbourg

9.4. 2005 enlargement strategy paper (vote)

– Before the vote on paragraph 21:

  Zbigniew Zaleski (PPE-DE). – (DE) Mr President, this brief amendment requires a short explanation.

Mr President, in paragraph 21 we have ‘believes that a democratic and secular Turkey could play a constructive role ...’. I propose deleting the word ‘secular’ because it is ambiguous. If we think of the state, of the government, of the parliament, it would be right; but ‘a secular Turkey’ means the whole nation. We have no right to demand that Turkish people should be deprived of respect for their own religion.

Imagine if the Azerbaijani Parliament were say that it would supply us with petrol provided we were all believers – or non-believers. I think it is playing with fire to demand from people such ...

(The President cut off the speaker)

(The oral amendment was not accepted.)

– Before the vote on Amendment 4:

  Jan Marinus Wiersma (PSE). – Mr President, where the words ‘the consultations held under the Luxembourg Presidency’ occur in our amendment, I should like to insert the words ‘taking into account’, so the amendment reads: ‘taking into account the consultations held under the Luxembourg Presidency’.

(The oral amendment was accepted.)

– Before the vote on Amendment 15:

  Elmar Brok (PPE-DE), rapporteur. – (DE) Mr President, acceptance of paragraph 43 makes Amendment 15 unnecessary. Paragraph 43 is about the name Macedonia or Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and we do not need another paragraph 43a on the same subject. It has been dealt with.

(Amendment 15 was dropped.)