{"id":99,"date":"2019-11-11T23:52:39","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T22:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eutcc.net\/?page_id=99"},"modified":"2019-12-05T15:52:05","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T14:52:05","slug":"2006-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/eutcc.net\/?page_id=99","title":{"rendered":"2006"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Final Resolution of the 3rd Annual EUTCC Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Third International Conference on the EU, Turkey and the Kurds brings together human rights defenders, writers, academics, lawyers and experts on the Kurdish Question to exchange ideas and generate dialogue on the Kurdish issue and the Turkey-EU accession process. The conference was held at the European Parliament in Brussels and supported by members of the European Parliament.
A fundamental aim of the Conference Resolution is to help to guarantee respect for human and minority rights and to promote a peaceful, democratic and long-term solution to the Kurdish situation as well as the accession of Turkey as a member of the EU. To this end, the Conference hereby resolves to monitor and conduct regular audits of Turkey\u2019s compliance with its regional human rights obligations and other EU related accession criteria. The Conference further resolves to periodically make recommendations of measures that could advance the protection of the human rights of the Kurds and to act as a point of contact and exchange of information with the Turkish and European Governments, EU institutions and other governmental and non-governmental organisations involved in the Turkish EU accession process and the peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Third International Conference on the EU,\nTurkey and the Kurds brings together human rights defenders, writers,\nacademics, lawyers and experts on the Kurdish Question to exchange ideas and\ngenerate dialogue on the Kurdish issue and the Turkey-EU accession process. The\nconference was held at the European Parliament in Brussels and supported by\nmembers of the European Parliament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fundamental aim of the Conference Resolution\nis to help to guarantee respect for human and minority rights and to promote a peaceful,\ndemocratic and long-term solution to the Kurdish situation as well as the\naccession of Turkey as a member of the EU. To this end, the Conference hereby\nresolves to monitor and conduct regular audits of Turkey\u2019s compliance with its\nregional human rights obligations and other EU related accession criteria. The\nConference further resolves to periodically make recommendations of measures\nthat could advance the protection of the human rights of the Kurds and to act\nas a point of contact and exchange of information with the Turkish and European\nGovernments, EU institutions and other governmental and non-governmental\norganisations involved in the Turkish EU accession process and the peaceful\nresolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FINAL\nRESOLUTIONS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pursuant to the presentation of Conference\npapers and interventions made by delegates, this Conference unanimously\nresolves to adopt the following declarations and calls for action to be\nundertaken by relevant parties to the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nConference issues the following declarations: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Recalling the resolutions from\nthe First and Second International Conferences on Turkey, EU & The Kurds,\nthe Third International Conference continues to give its qualified support to\nTurkey\u2019s EU accession process; <\/li>
  2. The Third International\nConference calls upon European Governments to publicly express support for the\nEU accession process, including support of all EU requirements concerning\ndemocratic and legal reform within Turkey; <\/li>
  3. The Conference hereby continues\nto acknowledge the Turkish Government\u2019s progress on reform during 2002-4, but\nechoes the European Parliament Resolution of 27 September 2006 expressing\nregret at the \u2018slowing down of the reform process\u2019 which can be seen in the\n\u2018persistent shortcomings or insufficient progress in particular in the areas of\nfreedom of expression, religious and minority rights, civil-military relations,\nlaw enforcement on the ground, women\u2019s rights, trade union rights, cultural\nrights and the swift and correct enforcement of court rulings by State\nservices\u2019 and joins with them in urging Turkey to \u2018reinvigorate the reform\nprocess\u2019; <\/li>
  4. The Conference notes with\nalarm the failure of certain State institutions to adhere to its obligations\nunder the European Convention on Human Rights and humanitarian law in\naccordance with the spirit and terms of its own recent reform packages and\ncommitments given under the accession process; in particular, it is dismayed\nthat institutions of the State have continued its military activities; <\/li>
  5. The Conference welcomes the\ndeclaration of a ceasefire by the PKK on 1 October 2006 and hereby calls upon\nall relevant parties involved in the armed conflict in Turkey to forthwith stop\nall hostile military operations in the region and to henceforth pursue\nnon-violent resolutions to the conflict; <\/li>
  6. In particular, the Conference\ncalls upon all governments, to urge Turkey and other Member States of the EU to\nhelp foster a climate of peace so that a democratic platform for dialogue can\nbe established between Turks, Kurds, and other constituent peoples and\nminorities who are resident in Turkey;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Human Rights\nand Accession <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • The Conference supports the\nundertakings by the EU that reform in the area of fundamental rights, democracy\nand the rule of law must be strengthened in the course of accession\nnegotiations and welcomes the commitment by the EU Commission to continue to\nmonitor the reform process; this should include a complete overhaul of the\njustice system including how judges are recruited and chosen;<\/li>
    • The Conference reiterates the\nview expressed in the First and Second Conferences that Turkey has not yet\nfulfilled the political elements of the Copenhagen Criteria, and reiterates\nthat its support for the accession process is dependent upon the institutions\nof the EU robustly enforcing accession standards. It further underlines that\nthere can be no further compromises on membership criteria akin to the EU\ndecision to allow Turkey access to the negotiating table for \u2018sufficiently\u2019\nfulfilling the Copenhagen Criteria; <\/li>
    • The Conference specifically\ncalls upon both the Turkish Government and the EU to ensure that Turkey fully\ncomplies with its human rights obligations in relation to torture and ill\ntreatment, the plight of internally displaced people, protection of women and\nchildren, minority rights, and freedoms of expression, association, language\nand religion; <\/li>
    • The Conference also calls upon Turkey to ratify the European Framework\nConvention on the Protection of Minorities as well as other UN Instruments\nconcerning minorities and to respect the existing cultural and minority rights\nof all groups;<\/li>
    • In reference to the above resolution, the Conference also calls on the EU\nto apply pressure on the Government of Turkey as a potential member of the EU\nto ratify said Framework;<\/li>
    • Recalling Articles 10, and 14, and Article 2 of the first Protocol of the\nEuropean Convention on Human Rights and Article 8 of the European Charter for\nRegional 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 calls upon the State of Turkey and the European Union to\ndevelop and promote a strategic plan for mother tongue education; <\/li>
    • With specific reference to the reports of the European Parliament in\nSeptember 2006, the European Commission of November 2005, the UN Special\nRapporteur on Violence Against Women\u2019s report in July 2006 and the concerns\nexpressed in the 2005 CEDAW response to Turkish Report to the Committee, the\nconference calls on EU to ensure that Turkey addresses the Status of all of its\nwomen and girls, and particularly its Kurdish women and girls in the context of\ninternational standards;<\/li>
    • This Conference expresses regret the Turkish government\u2019s initiation of\nwork on the ill-planned Ilisu Dam in August 2006 which threatens mass\ndisplacement and loss of livelihood of the area\u2019s inhabitants, the majority of\nwhom are Kurds; endangers the historically important city of Hasankeyf, in an\napparent attempt to further disassociate Kurds from their rich heritage and\nculture; and will, according to several environmental assessment reports,\njeopardize access to water for Turkey\u2019s neighbours and cause irreversible\nenvironmental harm;<\/li>
    • 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\neffects of this project are on the already overpopulated urban centres of the\nKurdish regions; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The\nCentrality of the Kurdish Question <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. The Conference asserts that the resolution of the Kurdish conflict is\nessential to the establishment of a stable, democratic and peaceful Turkey\ncapable of entering the European Union. True democratic reform can only occur\nif Turkey undertakes new political reform to its state institutions and\nbanishes adherence to ethnic nationalism which is the root cause of the\nconflict and Turkey\u2019s endemic instability; <\/li>
      2. This Conference therefore asserts that the Kurdish people and their\nrepresentatives should be given a genuine participatory role in the accession\nprocess and in any debate over Turkey\u2019s democratic constitutional future; <\/li>
      3. However, the Conference further asserts that more must and can be done on\nboth sides and calls for the following confidence building measures to be\nadopted; <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Confidence\nBuilding Measures <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. In particular, the Conference calls upon all political parties in Turkey to\nhelp foster the conditions within Turkey for a democratic platform for\ndialogue; <\/li>
        2. Based on the present ceasefire holding, the Conference calls upon the\nEuropean Commission and Council to endeavor to actively develop a democratic\nplatform whereby the constituent elements of Turkey, including the Kurdish\npeople and their representatives, can freely enter into dialogue and debate\nwith the Government over possible reform to the Constitution; <\/li>
        3. In this respect the Conference recalls the following declaration in the\nEuropean Commission\u2019s 1998 report that: <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          \u2018A civil and non-military\nsolution must be found to the situation in the Southeast Turkey particularly\nsince many of the violations of civil and political rights observed in the\ncountry are connected in one way or another with this issue\u2019;<\/p>\n\n\n\n