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In a recommendation to the Committee of Ministers, adopted in
the framework of the Autumn Session (19-21 November 2007) the
Chamber of Local Authorities asked that the Turkish authorities:
- permit municipal councils to use languages other than Turkish
in the provision of public services;
- reform the Municipality Law to allow mayors and municipal
councils to take "political" decisions without fear of
proceedings being taken against them;
- and sign and ratify the Council of Europe’s Framework
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, as well
as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers will discuss the issue
in the following weeks.
Recommendation 229(2007)
 Former
Mayor of Sur Abdullah Demirbas and Mayor of Diyarbakir Osman
Baydemir took part in a debate on the situation of the local
democracy in Turkey at the Congress Autumn Session.
Discussions focused on the report by Anders Knape (Sweden, EPP/CD),
Hans-Ulrich Stöckling (Switzerland, ILDG) and Irina Pereverzeva
(Russian Federation, SOC), adopted by the Congress Bureau on 17
September, following their fact-finding mission to Diyarbakir
and Ankara (8-10 August 2007).
Video record of the
debate - 1st part
Video record of the
debate - 2nd part
Report on the fact-finding mission in Diyarbakir and Ankara
(8-10 August 2007) |
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