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Interview with Mady Delvaux-Stehres: Turkey has made huge progress with reforms

The Luxembourg Social Democrat, Mady Delvaux-Stehres (SOC), believes that ending the monitoring of Turkey is justified. In her view, Ankara has met the Council of Europe’s demands and implemented many democratic and constitutional reforms. It is particularly important, for instance, that the armed forces’ influence over politics has been massively reduced. A report on Turkey prepared for the Parliamentary Assembly’s Monitoring Committee by Mrs Delvaux-Stehres and the Belgian Conservative, Luc Van den Brande, which calls for the ending of the monitoring procedure, is to be debated by the Assembly on 22 June.

Interview (22.06.2004)

Question: Your report calls for an end to the monitoring of Turkey. But is it not too early for that? Or is Turkey now a fully democratic state?

Delvaux-Stehres: In 2001, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called on Turkey to introduce numerous reforms and safeguard the fundamental rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. And it has to be said that Turkey has met these demands. Of course, I would not go so far as to say that it is a perfect democracy. But which state can make that claim for itself?

Question: What are the most important advances that have been made in Turkey?

Delvaux-Stehres: The progress Turkey has made is huge. First of all, there was the abolition of the death penalty, which was highly symbolic. What has made the largest impression on me personally is the massive reduction in the armed forces’ influence over politics. The generals are no longer in the majority on the National Security Council, the armed forces’ budget is now subject to parliamentary scrutiny and the military can no longer meddle in the education system. Only a few weeks ago, the government abolished the controversial security courts. The state of emergency has been lifted in all provinces. Initial moves to recognise the Kurdish language have been made. There has also been progress with freedom of religion and press freedom. And there are other examples.

Question: What problems remain in Turkey?

Delvaux-Stehres: The main problem lies in actually putting the legislative reforms into practice. Unfortunately, there are still isolated cases of torture. Turkey also still has to learn to accept its national minorities and to allow them cultural self-determination. It must also ratify the Council of Europe Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Additional guarantees are needed for press freedom, but relevant legislation is under preparation. Reconciliation with the Kurds will be particularly difficult. While gender equality is enshrined in the Turkish constitution, it still largely does not exist in day-to-day life, this applying not least as regards the Kurds.

Question: Did the forthcoming accession negotiations between the EU and Turkey, which would come under strain if the Council of Europe monitoring continued, also play a part in your call for and end to the monitoring?

Delvaux-Stehres: This aspect played no part in our discussions in the Monitoring Committee. We kept to the Council of Europe’s democratic standards and the calls the Parliamentary Assembly made to Ankara in 2001. However, it is obvious that one reason Turkey has implemented reforms is that it wants to join the EU.