Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans has spoken of her hope that a lasting peace can be established between Turkey and Kurdish representatives as she prepares to take part in a peace conference in Brussels this week. Ms Evans will chair a session on human rights at the Fourth International Conference on the EU, Turkey and the Kurds being held in Brussels 3-4 December 2007.
The conference is held under the auspices of the EU Turkey Civic Commission of which Jill Evans is a member of the Advisory Council. The Commission developed out of the first 'EU, Turkey and the Kurds' conference held in 2004 as the European Union was considering opening accession negotiations with Turkey.
Three years on, the conference comes at a crucial point in both the struggle for Kurdish democracy and for Turkey's efforts to prepare itself for possible accession to the European Union.
Speaking ahead of the conference in Brussels, Jill Evans said:
"This conference comes at an important time in relations between the EU, Turkey and the Kurdish people. Now more than ever we need constructive dialogue.
"Recent Turkish threats to invade Iraqi Kurdistan have been alarming. Many of the reforms demanded of Turkey prior to its being considered for EU membership are very slow in being implemented. We will be debating crucial issues like the Ilisu Dam project, the role of women and human rights."
Notes
The fourth International Conference on the EU, Turkey and the Kurds is held in Brussels 3-4 December 2007 under the auspices of the EU Turkey Civic Commission which is made up of the Bar Human Rights Committee (UK), the Kurdish Human Rights Project (UK), medico international (Germany) and the Rafto Foundation (Norway), and supported by members of the European Parliament.
Negotiations towards possible Turkish accession to the EU have been in progress since 2005 and are likely to take more than a decade. In order to join, Turkey must first satisfy the so-called 'Copenhagen Criteria' which covers a country's respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law and whether a country has a functioning market economy.
