Doslovný zápis z rozpráv

Štvrtok, 6. apríla 2006 - Štrasburg

11. Situácia na juhovýchode Turecka (rozprava)

  El Presidente. Procedemos a continuación a la declaración de la Comisión sobre la situación en el Sudeste de Turquía.

  Markos Kyprianou, Member of the Commission. Mr President, the Commission is concerned about the events occurring in the south-east of Turkey and about the outbursts of violence and terrorist attacks that have spread to other cities in the country. We are closely following the situation.

According to the information available to the Commission, an outburst of violence started on 28 March, in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir following the funeral of PKK members. May I remind honourable Members that the PKK is included in the European Union’s list of terrorist organisations.

The first victims were reported on 29 March in Diyarbakir and other fatalities were reported in the following days throughout the region. Over the weekend, riots also spread to Istanbul, where a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a crowded city bus. Three civilians were killed. Since then other fatalities have been reported, including among the security forces.

Let me be clear, the European Union unequivocally condemns terrorism. The PKK is a terrorist organisation. We are deeply concerned about its recent activities in Turkey. We feel that we are victims of these terrorist acts. But at the same time, we deeply deplore human casualties and call on the Turkish authorities to shed light on those events, through a comprehensive investigation, and to make sure that the security forces show the necessary strength in face of the demonstrators.

The people in the south-east of Turkey do not need violence and confrontation; they need peace, stability and prosperity. We urge the Turkish Government to address in a comprehensive manner – and not only from the security point of view – the problems of this region and of its people, who are for the most part of Kurdish origin.

The Turkish Government should take action with a view to enhancing and ensuring economic, social and cultural opportunities for all Turkish citizens. In this respect, we look forward to the follow-up of Prime Minister Erdogan’s speech in August 2005. The Commission recalls and stresses that under the Copenhagen political criteria, Turkey must ensure cultural diversity and promote the cultural rights of all its citizens as set out in the revised Accession Partnership adopted by the Council in January 2006.

It is also important that Turkey facilitates the return of internally displaced people to their original settlements, ensures fair compensation for those who have suffered loss and damage as a result of the security situation, and addresses the abolition of the village guard system.

We will continue to monitor the situation in the south-east. We will raise these issues with the Turkish authorities as part of our regular monitoring of the political criteria. I am looking forward to a very interesting debate.

  Camiel Eurlings, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group. – Mr President, the situation we are discussing here this afternoon is tragic, because recent events have been very bad for Turkey and for the Kurdish citizens of Turkey.

Let us be clear, the PPK is a terrorist organisation and there is never an excuse for terrorism. I am saying as a parliamentarian that the national parliament of the Netherlands fought hard to get the PKK on the terrorist list. There can never be an excuse.

However, at the same time, we must ask ourselves whether all the people who are protesting really support violence. Many analysts have drawn a completely different conclusion. They say that most Kurdish people do not want violence, they just want to have a prosperous future – with economic, social and cultural developments – within the state of Turkey. Now, more than ever, we need to invest in those people.

In Parliament’s report adopted at the end of 2004, we pressed for the development of the south east and for more cultural rights for the Kurdish people. It must be said that Prime Minister Erdogan has made impressive speeches since that time. However, at this difficult time these words must be followed more than ever by deeds. We must invest socially and economically so that people and their families have a prosperous future, so that they do not want violence for their children. We have to invest in more cultural freedom. If Turkish television and radio provided more air time for Kurdish programmes, then Roj TV in Denmark will not be that important any more.

Indeed, the village guard system should be abolished and displaced people should be helped to return to their home regions.

Now is the time for wisdom instead of big words. It is time the Turkish Government tried to find interlocutors who are modest and want peace. I name Mr Baydemir and Mr Türk, the co-leader of the DTP. These people must continue to speak out against violence; but if they continue to do so, let the Turkish Government cooperate with them instead of a Minister of the Interior threatening to bring them to justice. I think cooperation is the way; wisdom is the way. Let us ensure that Kurdish citizens feel at home in one Turkish state. That is the only solution.

  Emine Bozkurt, namens de PSE-Fractie. – Voorzitter, Turkije gaat de Fractie van de Europese socialisten aan het hart. Hartverscheurend is het dan ook om te zien dat het land momenteel wordt geteisterd door geweld. De PSE-Fractie roept op om verdere escalatie van het geweld te voorkomen. In dit verband verwelkomen we de woorden van premier Erdoğan, die heeft aangegeven het tij van geweld te willen keren door meer democratische en economische hervormingen te bewerkstelligen.

Hij heeft hiermee een hand uitgestoken naar de Koerdische gemeenschap, een hand die moet worden aangenomen. De PSE-Fractie onderstreept ook de oproep van de burgemeester van Diyarbakır aan die Koerden die geweld gebruiken, om hiervan af te zien, want de PSE-Fractie wijst excessief geweld definitief af. Als het geweld ophoudt dan kunnen en moeten de tanks vertrekken uit de straten van de steden en de dorpen in het zuidoosten. Tanks in de straten is niet wat de mensen in Europa willen zien, als ze denken over de mogelijke toetreding van Turkije tot de Europese Unie. Ik wil benadrukken dat iedereen in Turkije, ook de Koerden, baat heeft bij een ononderbroken proces op weg naar het Turkse lidmaatschap van de Europese Unie. De bescherming van en het respect voor de mensenrechten van iedereen in Turkije, is namelijk een absolute voorwaarde voor lidmaatschap van de Europese Unie.

We moeten nu het onderhandelingsproces niet laten saboteren door provocateurs nog voordat het goed en wel begonnen is. Het is jammer dat het huidige geweld een periode van toenadering onderbreekt, want er waren al vorderingen gemaakt. Koerdische tv was bijvoorbeeld een van de nieuwe maatregelen die de regering van Turkije mogelijk heeft gemaakt. De afspraken die er waren voordat het recente geweld uitbrak, moeten worden uitgebreid en vooral worden geïmplementeerd. Papier moet praktijk worden.

Tenslotte, nog enkele woorden voor de slachtoffers. Zij moeten worden betreurd en er wordt terecht om hen gerouwd. Laten we voorkomen dat er meer slachtoffers vallen. Maak van dit moeilijke moment in Turkije een kans voor een nieuw gevoel van saamhorigheid in het land, saamhorigheid die hard nodig is op de lange en moeilijke weg naar het lidmaatschap van de Europese Unie.

  Sarah Ludford, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, clearly there is an unholy alliance – though an unacknowledged and unintended alliance – between the Turkish security forces, the PKK and the European opponents of Turkey’s accession. They are all doing their bit in their own way to impede Turkey’s progress towards the European Union.

The Turkish police and army are not serving the interests of the Turkish Government in their excessive use of force against protestors in Diyarbakir and other towns. The deep state is not under the democratic control of that government. The fact is the military has a vested interest in the prolongation of the violence, because that enhances its power, its importance and its resources.

The PKK does employ terrorist methods, and it has no doubt provoked and stirred up some of the recent violence, but its aims of achieving recognition of the cultural, linguistic and political identity of the Kurdish people are shared by many Kurds who do not espouse violence. To that extent, the PKK are seen as freedom fighters. The challenge, one where the Turkish authorities are failing, is to separate the die-hard opponents of violence and those who want to pursue a democratic route to a political solution.

A very hopeful development over the last few days has been the very moderate calls by people like Ahmed Türk and Osman Baydemir, the major of Diyarbakir, for an end to the violence and for political discussions. I somewhat regret that the Commission did not say anything about encouraging the Turkish Government to go down this route: not only of social and economic progress, which clearly is needed, not only of the recognition of linguistic and cultural rights, but of actually talking about political dialogue and a political solution in the Kurdish region in south-east Turkey in the construction of the Turkish State.

The Commission seems to baulk at giving the Turkish Government that encouragement. We all need to rally round and encourage Prime Minister Erdogan to carry on where he seemed to start last August but where he has stalled, no doubt because of the army. We all need to help him get the political dialogue for a solution going.

  Cem Özdemir, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, I thank the Commissioner for his speech. I would like to express, on behalf of my Group, our great concern about the situation in Turkey that we have seen in the media. Over the past week at least 15 people have lost their lives in clashes between demonstrators and Turkish security forces in the south-east and in terrorist attacks in Istanbul. We strongly condemn the disproportionate use of force by police forces in Diyarbakir and Kiziltepe.

But at the same time, we vehemently denounce the provocations by the PKK, whose leaders deliberately stir up violence and riots. After three municipal buses in Istanbul were burnt without any casualties, two young sisters were killed on Sunday evening when a bus was attacked. The majority of the Kurds, who wish to build a decent life in the towns or to return to their villages, should not be hostage to cynical leadership associated with the military wing of the PKK which wants to escalate the conflict, as well as some people in the ‘deep state’ in Turkey.

In the light of the recent events we have the feeling that some of our colleagues in the European Parliament were not telling the whole story in the e-mails that were circulated recently. They give the impression of a black and white situation in which no Turk wants to grant more rights to the Kurds and every Kurd is an oppressed victim. That is why I believe it is important that we draw attention to the debate that is currently going on in civil society in Turkey, amongst intellectuals of Turkish and Kurdish origin.

Let me point out what they have said: first, Kurdish identity in Turkey must finally be officially recognised by the Turkish state; second, the policy for assimilating Kurds has been a complete failure; third, the Turkish state has to make sure that it gets back the trust of the Kurds and every citizen of Turkey; fourth, there cannot be any peaceful solution that insists that the PKK is the official negotiation partner of the state, because that will not happen.

I finish by quoting a former mayor of Diyarbakir, who has just pointed out: ‘If we are going to have real peace here, the PKK has to adjust itself to the new world situation. The Turkish state is becoming more democratic. The PKK needs to do the same. It should give up the idea of armed struggle and open respectful dialogue with Kurds who think differently. It also needs to renovate its leadership. This organisation was formed with a Cold War mentality. It needs to evolve’.

  Feleknas Uca, im Namen der GUE/NGL-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Im Namen der GUE/NGL-Fraktion und insbesondere meines Fraktionskollegen Vittorio Agnoletto möchte ich meine Erschütterung über die Auseinandersetzungen im Südosten der Türkei zum Ausdruck bringen. Seit über einer Woche erreichen uns erschreckende Bilder und Nachrichten aus einem Land, mit dem die EU im Oktober 2005 Beitrittsverhandlungen aufgenommen hat. Der Aufnahme dieser Verhandlungen haben meine Fraktionskolleginnen und -kollegen und ich seinerzeit zugestimmt. Die türkische Regierung hat im Rahmen der Beitrittsverhandlungen mit der EU zwar einen Reformprozess eingeleitet, doch um die gesellschaftlichen und politischen Probleme und Konflikte der Türkei nachhaltig zu lösen, ist dieser unzureichend.

Eines sollte der Türkei und uns allen diesbezüglich klar sein: Die Demokratiedefizite der Türkei waren und sind eng mit der Kurdenfrage verbunden. Solange die Türkei dieses Problem mit militärischen Mitteln, durch Repressionen gegen die Zivilbevölkerung, und durch die Unterdrückung von Meinungs- und Gedankenfreiheit zu lösen versucht, wird es in diesem Land keinen Frieden und damit keine Grundlage für einen demokratischen Staat geben. Der Graben, der durch die Gesellschaft geht, darf nicht noch tiefer werden, bis er unüberwindbar wird.

Der türkische Staatschef Erdoğan hat die Morde an Frauen und Kindern als notwendige Interventionen gegen die Werkzeuge des Terrors bezeichnet. Bisher verloren 15 Menschen dabei ihr Leben, darunter drei Kinder, von denen das jüngste gerade einmal drei Jahre alt war. Von den 278 Verhafteten in Diyarbakır sind 91 unter 18 Jahre alt. Wenn die türkischen Sicherheitskräfte weiterhin in Diyarbakır, in Batman, in Mardin und in vielen anderen kurdischen Städten auf Zivilisten schießen und die Zahl der getöteten Menschen weiter ansteigt, dann wird dieser Graben breiter und eine friedliche Lösung rückt weiter in die Ferne.

Die Europäische Kommission und der Rat sind jetzt aufgefordert, die Türkei mit allen ihnen zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln zur Beendigung der Gewalt zu bewegen. Es muss diskutiert werden, ob die Beitrittsverhandlungen ausgesetzt werden, falls die Missachtung von demokratischen Prinzipien und die Menschenrechtsverletzungen durch die türkische Regierung und die türkische Armee weiter fortgesetzt werden. Ich fordere, eine Ad-hoc-Delegation in die Türkei zu entsenden, die mit der Aufklärung der Vorfälle betraut wird. Ich appelliere an alle Konfliktparteien, die Gewalt sofort zu beenden, und fordere die türkische Regierung auf, die legal gewählten Vertreter der Kurden als Verhandlungspartner zu akzeptieren und die neuerlichen Anklagen gegen sie fallen zu lassen.

Es kann und darf nicht mehr toleriert werden, dass 20 Millionen Kurden ihre politischen und kulturellen Rechte und ihre gesellschaftspolitische Mitbestimmung verwehrt werden.

  Jan Tadeusz Masiel (NI). – Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Postawa władz tureckich wobec aktualnych wydarzeń w Diyarbakirze i zarządzanie kryzysem w południowo-wschodniej Turcji są nie do przyjęcia w Unii Europejskiej. Turcja, która nie szanuje dwunastomilionowej wspólnoty kurdyjskiej mieszkającej na jej terytorium, nie uszanuje również kultur i religii krajów Wspólnot Europejskich.

Pewność siebie premiera Turcji, Recepa Erdogana, graniczy z arogancją. Niech mu się nie wydaje, że Unia Europejska cokolwiek wobec Turcji musi. Przeciwnie, Panie Komisarzu – uważam, że na mocy decyzji o otwarciu negocjacji z Turcją Unia Europejska ma prawo je w tym momencie zawiesić.

  Κωνσταντίνος Χατζηδάκης (PPE-DE). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, με λύπη παρατηρούμε τα φαινόμενα βίας στη Νοτιοανατολική Τουρκία και με αποτροπιασμό παρατηρούμε τις δολοφονίες στρατιωτών και αθώων πολιτών στην Τουρκία. Ωστόσο, αυτό δεν πρέπει να μας οδηγήσει στο συμπέρασμα ότι πρόκειται για το μοναδικό πρόβλημα στην Τουρκία: υπάρχει μεγάλο πρόβλημα σε σχέση με τα δικαιώματα των Κούρδων, κάτι που στη σημερινή συζήτηση δεν θα πρέπει να κρύψουμε κάτω από το χαλί.

Η Τουρκία διάλεξε μια προοπτική: την ευρωπαϊκή προοπτική. Και χάρη σ' αυτή την προοπτική είχαμε τα τελευταία χρόνια κάποια πρόοδο στο θέμα των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων των Κούρδων οι οποίοι, πριν από μερικά χρόνια, δεν αναγνωρίζονταν καν ότι υπάρχουν.

Αλλά, αυτή η πορεία δεν πρέπει να σταματήσει. Οι ανεξέλεγκτες παρεμβάσεις του στρατού το τελευταίο διάστημα δεν πρέπει να στερήσουν τους Κούρδους από τα δικαιώματα που πρέπει να έχουν εάν η Τουρκία γίνει μέλος της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, τα δικαιώματα, δηλαδή, που έχουν και οι πολίτες των ευρωπαϊκών κρατών.

Ο Πρωθυπουργός Ερντογάν δήλωσε πρόσφατα ότι 'δεν θα υπαναχωρήσουμε από το στόχο μας, τη δημοκρατία και την ανάπτυξη. Θα εισάγουμε μεγαλύτερες ελευθερίες, περισσότερη δημοκρατία, κοινωνική αρωγή, δικαιώματα και δικαιοσύνη'. Η δήλωση είναι σωστή, αλλά αυτό δεν πρέπει μόνο να δηλώνεται αλλά και να γίνεται πράξη.

Και χρειάζονται μέτρα σε τρία επίπεδα: πρώτον δικαιώματα, δεύτερον οικονομική και κοινωνική πολιτική, τρίτον περιορισμός του στρατού ο οποίος είναι μια ανεξέλεγκτη δύναμη. Αν γίνουν αυτά η Τουρκία θα έχει πάρει στα σοβαρά την ευρωπαϊκή της προοπτική. Και αν η Τουρκία τιμήσει τις δεσμεύσεις της και σ' αυτό το πεδίο αλλά και σε όλα τα υπόλοιπα, αυτά δηλαδή που της έχει ζητήσει η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση να κάνει, αυτό θα αποβεί προς όφελος και των Κούρδων αλλά και όλων των κατοίκων της Τουρκίας.

Η Τουρκία λοιπόν δεν πρέπει να διστάσει· τα λόγια του κ. Ερτνογάν θα πρέπει, από δω και πέρα, να ταυτιστούν με τα έργα.

  Παναγιώτης Μπεγλίτης (PSE). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, παρακολουθούμε με ιδιαίτερη ανησυχία την αναβίωση της βίας και των πράξεων τρομοκρατίας από τον τουρκικό στρατό και την οργάνωση του PKK. Πιστεύω ότι το μήνυμα που πρέπει να βγει από τη σημερινή μας συζήτηση είναι ένα μήνυμα καταδίκης των τρομοκρατικών πράξεων κατά αθώων πολιτών στην Κωνσταντινούπολη και σε άλλες πόλεις αλλά και της στρατιωτικής βίας των τουρκικών δυνάμεων καταστολής κατά του κουρδικού πληθυσμού.

Οι δυνάμεις που σπρώχνουν σε λογικές πολέμου και στρατιωτικής επικράτησης με κάθε κόστος έχουν την ευθύνη τους για την κατάσταση στη Νοτιοανατολική Τουρκία. Το βαθύ κράτος και ο στρατός στην Τουρκία βρίσκουν στη δράση του PKK το βολικό πρόσχημα για να συνεχίσουν τις παρεμβάσεις στην πολιτική ζωή, επιχειρώντας να καθορίσουν τους όρους επίλυσης του κουρδικού προβλήματος. Από την άλλη πλευρά, το PKK αξιοποιεί τα σοβαρά οικονομικά και κοινωνικά προβλήματα υπανάπτυξης και φτώχιας για να τροφοδοτεί με τις πράξεις του τον κύκλο βίας και αίματος.

Είναι γεγονός, και θα ήταν πολιτικό λάθος να το απαξιώσουμε, ότι η ευρωπαϊκή προοπτική της Τουρκίας άνοιξε το δρόμο σε μεταρρυθμίσεις από την κυβέρνηση Ερτνογάν. Όμως, οι μεταρρυθμίσεις βρίσκονται ακόμη στην αρχή, είναι ατελείς και διαπνέονται από τον ιστορικό φόβο του τουρκικού κράτους απέναντι στον κουρδικό λαό.

Πρέπει να υποστηρίξουμε με συνέπεια και αποφασιστικότητα τα πολιτιστικά, γλωσσικά και εκπαιδευτικά δικαιώματα της κουρδικής κοινότητας· να υποστηρίξουμε τα πολιτικά δικαιώματα· να ζητήσουμε την αλλαγή του εκλογικού νόμου που απαγορεύει τη δημοκρατική εκπροσώπηση της κουρδικής κοινότητας στην πολιτική ζωή της Τουρκίας.

Η τουρκική πολιτική ηγεσία και η κυβέρνηση Ερτνογάν έχουν την ευθύνη να προχωρήσουν με τόλμη και αποφασιστικότητα στην ολοκλήρωση των μεταρρυθμίσεων και στην ομαλή πολιτική, οικονομική και κοινωνική ενσωμάτωση του κουρδικού λαού. Μια στρατηγική ειρηνικής επίλυσης προϋποθέτει τον διάλογο μεταξύ των δύο πλευρών. Προϋποθέτει την αποκήρυξη, και από τις δύο πλευρές, της λογικής της στρατιωτικής σύγκρουσης και της λύσης. Το κουρδικό πρόβλημα δεν πρόκειται να λυθεί με όρους καταστολής και βίας αλλά με όρους δημοκρατικού διαλόγου, ανάπτυξης και άνθησης των δικαιωμάτων του κουρδικού λαού.

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση έχει τη δική της πολιτική ευθύνη για τη διαμόρφωση μιας ολοκληρωμένης στρατηγικής για το κουρδικό πρόβλημα στην Τουρκία:

- να παραμείνει σταθερός και συνεπής υποστηρικτής της ευρωπαϊκής προοπτικής, ελέγχοντας συγχρόνως, χωρίς εκπτώσεις και σκοπιμότητες, την υλοποίηση των υποχρεώσεων από την Τουρκία·

- να επαναβεβαιώσει την υποστήριξή της στην εδαφική ακεραιότητα και την ενότητα του τουρκικού κράτους και να καταδικάσει τους αποσχιστικούς στόχους μιας αδιέξοδης στρατηγικής του PKK·

- να αναλάβει πρωτοβουλίες για την έναρξη ενός δημοκρατικού διαλόγου για την πολιτική επίλυση του κουρδικού και τη διασφάλιση του ρόλου και των δικαιωμάτων της κουρδικής κοινότητας στους θεσμούς και στην κοινωνία της Τουρκίας.

Τέλος, η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, σε συνεργασία με τουρκικούς και κουρδικούς φορείς, θα πρέπει να συμβάλει στη διαμόρφωση και στην υλοποίηση προγραμμάτων οικονομικής και κοινωνικής ανασυγκρότησης για την καταπολέμηση της φτώχιας, της υπανάπτυξης, για την ενίσχυση των θεσμών και της κοινωνίας των πολιτών και για την υποστήριξη των δημοκρατικών μετριοπαθών πολιτικών δυνάμεων στις περιοχές της Νοτιοανατολικής Τουρκίας.

  Marios Matsakis (ALDE). – Mr President, the situation in south-east Turkey is indeed extremely worrying but should not surprise anyone. Violence and gross abuse of human rights, largely by the Turkish State, have been practised on and off in that region for decades and they will continue to occur for many years to come unless the Turkish Government recognises that the Kurdish problem will not go away simply by giving the army generals a free hand to deal with it in the only way they know how: by brute force.

The Turkish Government must understand that the millions of Kurdish people living in the region must have their human rights fully respected. They must have the right to use their own language, Kurdish, and to uphold their traditions and culture. Furthermore, the Turkish Government must accept that the Kurdish people are entitled to a degree of autonomy. If such an eventuality were to be negotiated, it would not adversely affect the wellbeing of the Turkish people; through the establishment of long-lasting stability, it would bring peace and prosperity to the whole of Turkey. In addition, the Turkish Government must take the brave step of acceding to the recent request by Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masood Barzani to accept the federal structure of Iraq and to declare a general amnesty for PKK militants.

Mr Erdogan’s Government has given signs of aspiring to achieve drastic democratic reforms in Turkey. We know that such reforms are greatly resisted by the deeply entrenched military establishment. The Turkish people must understand that those who resist change are in fact the real enemies of Turkey. Mr Erdogan is fighting a difficult battle, full of danger, with the army generals. We must encourage and support him because, if the generals win, Turkey’s progress towards democratisation will be halted, as will its progress towards EU accession, and the country will sink once again into the backwardness of military totalitarian control.

  Alyn Smith (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, I declare an interest in this debate as patron of the Peace in Kurdistan campaign and a board member of the EU-Turkey Civic Commission. I endorse utterly my group colleague Mr Özdemir’s remarks about dialogue and how this process is not black and white. All sides have their shortcomings and we in this House must continue to encourage where necessary, and criticise where necessary. We must also, I stress, keep an eye to our own integrity and ensure that legitimate concerns about the painfully slow progress of the peace process within Kurdistan and Turkey as a whole does not become a cipher for those within this House and within the EU who are more anti-Turkish EU membership than they are pro-democracy.

The Copenhagen criteria constitute the roadmap. The Copenhagen criteria on recognition of cultural, historic and political rights are clear, they are already laid down. We in this House must keep our own hands clean. The EU as a champion of dialogue and democracy must ensure that we always remember our own principles and our own role as honest, impartial broker, able to help and criticise where necessary.

  Frederika Brepoels (PPE-DE). – Voorzitter, mijnheer de commissaris, collega's, het is duidelijk dat sinds de Europese Unie de toetredingsonderhandelingen met Turkije is opgestart, ons wekelijks berichten bereiken van geweld en grove schendingen van de mensenrechten. U heeft zelf een lijstje opgesomd, maar ik wil toch even uw aandacht vragen voor de brute moord op de bejaarde ouders van de voorzitter van het Koerdisch Instituut in Brussel, zonder natuurlijk de andere slachtoffers tekort te doen.

In een eerste reactie stelt commissaris Rehn dat hij vast vertrouwen heeft in de Turkse overheid. Ik vind dat toch nogal een vreemde houding, aangezien steeds meer elementen wijzen op een actieve betrokkenheid van diezelfde autoriteiten. Ik weet niet of u het rapport heeft gezien van de mensenrechtenorganisatie IHD over de moord op het echtpaar Ferho en ook het gerechtelijk onderzoek naar de bomaanslag in Şemdinli. Die wijzen beide in de richting van het Turkse leger. Toen een openbare aanklager enkele weken geleden de directe betrokkenheid van de nummer twee en ook de kandidaat-stafchef van het leger wilde onderzoeken, werd dit door de legerleiding meteen afgeblokt. Dit zijn dus de autoriteiten waar de Europese Commissie alle vertrouwen in heeft.

Nu, mijnheer de commissaris, deze gebeurtenissen leggen toch wel op een pijnlijke manier bloot dat Turkije geenszins streeft naar een vreedzame oplossing van dit conflict met de Koerden. Turkije weigert simpelweg de culturele en democratische rechten op zelfbeschikking van de Turkse Koerden te erkennen. Een land dat 15 miljoen van zijn burgers alle politieke en culturele rechten ontzegt, is voor mij geen democratie. Een land waarvan de autoriteiten actief betrokken zijn bij grove schendingen van mensen- en volkerenrechten, is voor mij ook geen rechtsstaat. Het negeren van die realiteit en ook het uitblijven van een krachtig signaal van Europa maken ons ook medeplichtig.

Ik zou eens echt willen weten wat de Commissie terzake gaat ondernemen. Zal commissaris Rehn nu eindelijk, zoals hij beloofd heeft, in de associatieovereenkomst de bescherming van de minderheden opnemen of niet? Ik denk dat het aangaan van een rechtstreekse en structurele dialoog door de Europese Unie - aangezien Turkije het niet doet of niet wil - met vertegenwoordigers van de Koerdische gemeenschap in Turkije in dezen reeds een heel belangrijke stap zou kunnen zijn. Ik zou graag uw visie hierover horen.

  Geoffrey Van Orden (PPE-DE). – Mr President, in my view the greatest service that could be given to the people of south-eastern Turkey is for Kurdish extremist groups to cease their campaign of violence and terrorism. It is a characteristic of terrorist campaigns that their victims are, for the most part, ordinary civilians who want nothing more than to have a fair chance of bringing up their children in an atmosphere of peace, stability, freedom and increasing prosperity. None of that can be delivered while terrorists and insurgents pursue their own selfish ends, oppress, intimidate and mobilise Kurdish communities at home and abroad, and seek to inflame international opinion against the Turkish authorities. I do not imagine that there is very much freedom of opinion in those areas dominated by the PKK.

From time to time the PKK, an organisation with its roots in the Cold War, has declared a ceasefire. The most recent of those was last August, for less than a month. Since then it has continued its campaign of violence and murder. Since last weekend, as the Commissioner and other speakers have mentioned, over a dozen people have died as a result of terrorist violence. Over the years the victims of terrorism have numbered tens of thousands.

Turkey’s EU accession negotiations are now under way. That is itself a factor in the PKK campaign. The PKK is not interested in a stable, thriving and democratic Turkey oriented to the West. It would prefer its own little Marxist state, living in the past.

Of course we want to see reforms in Turkey as part of a modernising agenda; of course we want to see great economic improvements in south-eastern Turkey. I feel enormous sympathy for people that live in poverty and fear. We want reasonable Kurdish concerns to be resolved in a just and fair way through negotiation. None of that can be achieved with a background of violence or the continuing threat of violence.

The Kurdish extremists must end their terrorism. The Turkish authorities can then respond in a spirit of goodwill.

  Markos Kyprianou, Member of the Commission. Mr President, I wish to thank Members for this very interesting discussion. I have listened with great interest to your remarks and these were duly noted.

I think we can all conclude that the situation in south-east Turkey is serious and, therefore, we all look forward to that situation being addressed vigorously through a comprehensive strategy, encompassing not just security concerns – which are legitimate – but also the socio-economic development of the region and the development of cultural rights.

I should like to refer to Prime Minister Erdogan’s speech of August 2005 – which I mentioned earlier – in which he emphasised the need to resolve through democratic means what he described as ‘the Kurdish issue’. The Commission will encourage the Turkish Government and its Prime Minister to take steps based on the commitment they made in that speech in Diyarbakir.

The stability of the region is key to properly addressing those issues and the continuation of terrorist attacks represents a serious threat in this respect. At the same time, it is very important that the security forces and the authorities show restraint and do not use excessive force when they deal with civilians.

I should like to comment on a few issues raised by Members. With regard to the Semdinli incidents, I should like to say that investigations are going on both in the judiciary but also in the parliament and we are awaiting the outcome of those investigations and we will continue to follow the situation.

I have noted the issue of progress and we are continually encouraging the Turkish Government to continue with the reforms and to extend more rights to the Kurdish people. I refer to the recent development – at least it is a positive step – of allowing broadcasts in the Kurdish language at certain times on the television and radio. We expect more to be done in this respect.

I can assure Members that we will continue to monitor the situation in the south east. All these issues will be raised with the Turkish authorities as part of our regular monitoring of the political criteria.

  El Presidente. Se cierra el debate.