The Final Resolution of the 4th Annual EUTCC Conference<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pursuant to the presentation of Conference papers and interventions made by delegates, this Conference resolves to adopt the following declarations and calls for action to be undertaken by relevant parties to the conflict in the Kurdish Regions of Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Conference issues the following\ndeclarations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
General:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) Recalling the resolutions from the International Conferences on\nTurkey, EU & the Kurds of the preceding three years, the Conference\ncontinues to give its qualified support to Turkey\u2019s EU accession process,\ncontingent on demonstrable commitment from both parties to the human rights and\nfundamental freedoms;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) The Conference calls upon the European Union to act as a unified body\npublicly expressing support for the EU accession process it began, including support\nof all EU requirements concerning democratic and legal reform within Turkey;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3) The Conference notes that the 2007 European Commission progress\nreport on Turkish accession found that \u201cno major issue has been addressed and significant\nproblems persist\u201d, and joins with the Commission in urging Turkey to confront\nthese problems;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4) The Conference notes with alarm the failure of certain institutions\nwithin the Turkish State apparatus to adhere to its obligations under the\nEuropean Convention on Human Rights and humanitarian law in accordance with the\nspirit and terms of its own recent reform packages and commitments given under\nthe accession process; in particular, it is dismayed that<\/p>\n\n\n\n
institutions of the State\nhave continued its military activities;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5) The Conference notes that it has become clear to everyone, including Turkey\nand the Turkish army, and the whole of the international community, that there\nis no military solution to the ongoing conflict;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6) The Conference calls now upon both Turkey and the PKK to forthwith\nstop all hostile military operations in the region to provide political space\nto address the Kurdish questions through dialogue;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7) In particular, the Conference urges Turkey and the Member States of\nthe EU to take practical and visible steps to demonstrate their full support\nfor the establishment of a democratic platform for dialogue between all peoples\nconstituting the Turkish Republic;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human\nRights and Accession:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8) The Conference supports the undertakings by the EU that reform in the\narea of Turkey\u2019s fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law must be\nstrengthened in the course of accession negotiations and welcomes the commitment\nby the EU Commission to continue to monitor the reform process. These reforms\nshould include a complete overhaul of the justice<\/p>\n\n\n\n
system including how judges and prosecutors are recruited and trained, promoting\nfull independence of law enforcement officers and public prosecutors in order\nprevent the law being used to achieve political and ideological objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
9) The Conference reiterates the view expressed in the three preceding Conferences,\nthat Turkey has not yet fulfilled the political elements of the Copenhagen\nCriteria, and reiterates that its support for the accession process is\ndependent upon the institutions of the EU robustly enforcing accession\nstandards. It further underlines that\nthere can be no further<\/p>\n\n\n\n
compromises on membership criteria akin to the EU decision to allow Turkey\naccess to the negotiating table for \u2018sufficiently\u2019 fulfilling the Copenhagen\nCriteria;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10) Recalling last year’s conference resolution number 10, the\nConference calls upon Turkey to ratify the European Framework Convention on the\nProtection of Minorities as well as other UN Instruments concerning minorities\nand to respect the existing cultural and minority rights of all groups; and\ncalls on the EU to apply pressure on the Government of Turkey<\/p>\n\n\n\n
as a potential member of\nthe EU to ratify said Framework;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11) Recalling Articles 10, and 14, and Article 2 of the first Protocol\nof the European convention on Human Rights and Article 8 of the European Charter\nfor Regional or Minority languages, and the Council of Europe\u2019s Parliamentary\nAssembly\u2019s resolution 1519 of October 2006 on the cultural situation of the\nKurds, the Conference reiterates its call to the State of Turkey and the\nEuropean Union to develop and promote a strategic plan for mother tongue\neducation;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
12) With specific reference to the 2007 European Commission progress report,\nthe European Parliament report on the increasing suicide of women in the Kurdish\nregions, as well as recalling the 2005 CEDAW response to Turkish Report to the\nCommittee, the Conference calls on the EU to ensure that Turkey address the\nstatus of all women and girls in the context of international standards,\nparticularly considering the high rates of illiteracy, domestic violence, honor\nkilling, suicide and forced and early marriages in Turkey, for which the lack\nof requisite services and judicial training fail to guarantee legal protections\n(and in particular notes need to address the regional disparity in the position\nof women through education, literacy, access to meaningful employment,\npolitical representation and access to justice); furthermore it requests the\nEuropean Union to use all it powers to ensure that the Turkish Government\ndevelops, in consultation and cooperation with Kurdish women a National Action\nPlan to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Resolution (S\/RES\/1325)\nis the first resolution ever passed by the Security Council that specifically\naddresses<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the impact of war on women, and women’s contributions to conflict resolution\nand sustainable peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
13)This Conference expresses regret the Turkish government\u2019s initiation\nof work on the ill-planned Ilisu Dam in August 2006, and the start of the expropriation\nof land by the Turkish state which threatens mass displacement and loss of\nlivelihood of the area\u2019s inhabitants, the majority of whom are Kurds; endangers\nthe historically important city of Hasankeyf, in an apparent attempt to further\ndisassociate Kurds from their rich heritage and culture; and will, according to\nseveral environmental assessment reports, further jeopardize access to water\nfor Turkey\u2019s neighbours and cause irreversible environmental harm;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
14) In reference to the above, the Conference calls upon the Turkish government\nto reassess its position vis-\u00e0-vis this project, as well as the bodies of the\nEU monitoring the impact of internal displacement and what the potential eThects\nof this project are on the already overpopulated urban centres of the Kurdish\nregions, as well as calling on member governments to put pressure on foreign\ncapital companies to withdraw their investments<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in the project;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
15) The Conference expresses its deep concern over Turkey\u2019s employment\nof articles of the criminal code to prosecute writers, journalists,\nintellectuals, lawyers and many other defenders of free speech, including\nArticles 215, 216 (incitement to hatred), 217, 220 (making propaganda for a\ncriminal organization) 288 (attempt to influence a fair trial) and 301\n(insulting \u2018Turkishness\u2019) of the Turkish Penal Code; the Conference calls on\nthe EU to<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ensure that Turkey remove restrictions on freedom of expression from\ntheir legal framework entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
16) We call upon Turkey to fulfill its positive obligations under\narticle 10 of the ECHR to promote a positive climate in which freedom of\nexpression to flourish, and to protect writers, journalists, intellectuals,\nlawyers and many other defenders of free speech from unlawful interference by\nstate and nonstate actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Centrality of the Kurdish Question<\/p>\n\n\n\n
17) The Conference asserts that the resolution of the Kurdish con ict is essential to the\nestablishment of a stable, democratic and peaceful Turkey capable of entering\nthe European Union. True democratic reform can only occur if Turkey undertakes new\npolitical reform to its state institutions and banishes adherence to ethnic\nnationalism which is the root cause of the conflict and Turkey\u2019s endemic\ninstability;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
18)This Conference therefore asserts that the Kurdish people and their representatives\nshould be given a genuine participatory role in the accession process and in\nany debate over Turkey\u2019s democratic constitutional future;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
19) However, the Conference further asserts that more must and can be\ndone on both sides and calls for the following confidence building measures to\nbe adopted; Confidence Building Measures<\/p>\n\n\n\n
20) This conference notes the resolution of the conflict and the constitutional<\/p>\n\n\n\n
recognition of Kurds in\nTurkey is central to regional stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
21) In this respect, the Conference calls upon the Turkish Government to\nbegin a public debate about the constitutional recognition of the existence of\nthe Kurdish people within Turkey;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
22) The Conference calls upon all political parties in Turkey to help\nfoster the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
conditions within Turkey\nfor a democratic platform for dialogue;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
23) The Conference calls upon the EU actively to support efforts for\ndialogue on<\/p>\n\n\n\n
minorities and specifically on Kurds in Turkey;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
24) The Conference urges Turkey to recognize that for democracy to\nfunction,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
it is imperative that\nlocal government structures enjoy the full support of<\/p>\n\n\n\n
national government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
25) At this critical juncture at this time all actors involved (the EU,\nTurkey and the Kurds) must take heed of lessons from their past, and act in\naccordance with international law and humanitarian norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
26) In particular, the Conference calls upon the Turkish Government to\nensure that all legally constituted Kurdish democratic parties are allowed to\nengage in peaceful political activity without interference or constant threat\nof closure, with particular reference to the Democratic Society Party (DTP) and\nits current democratically elected members of parliament; in accordance with\nArticles 10 and 11 of the European Convention of Human<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rights; further to immediately cease the harassment and politically motivated\ninvestigations of Kurdish politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
27) The Conference notes the recommendations of the ECtHR in several\ncases, but in particular regarding the case of Abdullah \u00d6calan vs Turkey,\nregarding conditions of detention in Turkey. The Conference further calls on\nthe Turkish government to implement CPT (Committee on Prevention of Torture)\nrecommendations on conditions of detention and specifically the health of Mr.\n\u00d6calan, and close \u2014with immediate effect\u2014 Imrali island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
28) The Conference also urges each member state of the European Union to\nassist \u2014including by earmarking funds\u2014 in the creation of a democratic platform\nfor dialogue between Turkey and the Kurds and fully comply with their own\nfreedom of expression obligations in respect of those Kurdish organisations and\nindividuals who are concerned to promote the same;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
29) The Conference reiterates that the Governments of the EU should not criminalise\npeaceful dissent of Turkey echoed by Kurdish organisations situated in Europe\nand to review its proscription of certain Kurdish organisations, especially in\nthe light of public commitments to the search for a peaceful solution of the\nKurdish question within the present territorial integrity of a democratically\nreformed Turkey;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
30) Finally, the Conference renews its mandate for its Directors,\nAdvisors and Committees, to engage and campaign on both a political and civic\nlevel across Europe in support of Turkey\u2019s accession bid to join the European Union\non the basis of this resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brussels, 3.-4. Dec 2007<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Final Resolution of the 4th Annual EUTCC Conference Pursuant to the presentation of Conference papers and interventions made by delegates, this Conference resolves to adopt the following declarations and calls for action to be undertaken by relevant parties to… Continue reading