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Turkish Parliament, Looking to Europe, Passes Reforms August 4, 2002 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 3 (AP) - After a raucous all-night debate, Turkey's Parliament approved a package of rights reforms aimed at increasing its chances of joining the European Union by abolishing the death penalty and granting greater rights to the nation's Kurds. Pro-Europe deputies pushed through the legislation over fierce opposition by nationalists, who said the changes would divide the country and amounted to giving in to Kurdish rebels who fought a 15-year war in southeastern Turkey. The action by the unicameral National Assembly now requires only the formality of presidential approval to become law. But debate over the matter has hardly ended. The new laws are expected to be a major issue in parliamentary elections called for November. And nationalists said they may seek to overturn the laws in court. Supporters of the changes praised the passage of the new laws as a step toward joining the European Union. The union made abolishing the death penalty a condition for Turkey to join after it became a candidate for membership in 1999. But full membership for Turkey may be many years away, because the union wants to see how reforms are carried out. The legislation, passed by a show of hands, will replace the death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Capital punishment remains on the books, however, during times of war. The changes also legalize long-banned television and radio broadcasts in the Kurdish language and allow Kurdish and other regional dialects to be taught in schools. Turkey is under pressure from Europe to improve its human rights record. The country has been dogged by accusations of torture in police stations and prisons. Turkey does not recognize the Kurds as a minority, and the country's 12 million Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of the population, have long been denied cultural rights. "Turkey has taken a giant step on the road to the E.U.," said Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, whose Democratic Left Party drafted the legislation. A conference of European Union leaders that is scheduled for December is expected to make a decision on expansion, and a date could be set for talks on Turkey's entry. A nationwide poll by a private research group in May showed that a majority of Turks favor membership in the European Union, as well as abolition of the death penalty. But the Nationalist Action Party has resisted the changes, saying it would fuel the 15-year war by Kurdish rebels seeking autonomy. For months, the debate has divided and paralyzed the coalition led by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, touching off a government crisis that led to the calling of parliamentary elections for November, 18 months ahead of schedule. The parliamentary debate, which began Friday and stretched into this morning, turned loud and angry. "We won't let those terrorists left in the mountains come down to the city and participate" in language courses," said Bozkurt Yasar Ozturk, a Nationalist Party deputy. "Rather than putting out a fire, we're making it bigger." Nationalists also insisted that the death sentence be carried out against Abdullah Ocalan, a jailed Kurdish rebel leader who has been sentenced to hang, and they accused the reform legislation's supporters of scheming to save Mr. Ocalan. Turkey has not executed anyone since 1984, although courts regularly impose death sentences. Dozens of prisoners are now on death row. The package also lifts certain restrictions on people's right to associate and form civic organizations, and it imposes stricter penalties for human trafficking. It allows non-Muslim minority communities such as Greeks, Armenians and Jews greater rights over religious property like churches and synagogues. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/04/international/europe/04TURK.html?ex=1029433499&ei=1&en=7246f106c6b671f7 HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. 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