Address by Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister of Turkey
Strasbourg, 27 January 2003

Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Ambassadors,

It is an honour and pleasure for me to be back in this Assembly. I was privileged to be a member in this body. I consider the Council of Europe a school for democracy, the rule of law and human rights. It contributed immensely to my political philosophy. In the nineteen nineties, following the removal of dividing lines in Europe, I was part of the fact-finding missions to the candidate countries of the Council of Europe. We lived through the enlargement of the Council. I am happy to see those countries as full-fledged members, represented here.

Now, as the Prime Minister of my country, I have the opportunity to put into practice accumulation I acquired as a member of this Assembly.

I also consider the Council of Europe a permanent network for promoting and disseminating ideals of democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

Last week I was in Davos where I participated in the World Economic Forum. I met many old friends from the Assembly. I was happy to share experiences for the same ideals we continue to serve.

Let me also express my confidence in the members of the new Turkish Parliamentary Delegation to the Assembly, who stand for the first time under the roof of this Hemicycle. I am sure that they will be strong advocates of the ideals and principles of the Council of Europe.

Mr. President, Colleagues and Friends,

Turkey highly values the work of the Council and its bodies. Turkey has greatly benefited from the common norms and standards as it seeks to further its democracy.

My government, which took office following the November general elections, is committed to continue this process and also to accelerate it. I can confidently say that my government is firmly committed to maintain the reformist nature. We have already demonstrated our resolve. In the first two months of my government, we already achieved the adoption of two reform packages. I should like to remind that those were the first legislation adopted by the new parliament. I assure you of our determination to have the reforms fully reflected upon implementation. The comfortable majority granted to us by the Turkish people is an insurance of our determination.

I should stress that the reformist nature of my government and the pace of reforms are particularly remarkable, given the growing tendency in some parts of the world to restrict fundamental rights and freedoms due to security concerns.

Allow me to be more specific. As a former member of the Assembly, I am well aware of the criticisms levelled against Turkey from this floor. Many members have repeatedly underlined, among others, two important issues :

- Torture and ill-treatment, and - Execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

My government has announced a policy of zero tolerance for torture. In line with this approach, two weeks ago, our Parliament passed a legislative package proposed by my government, which brings about sweeping reforms for fighting torture.

We have now eliminated the often-criticised system of prior administrative permission for claims of torture and ill-treatment. From now on, all charges of torture and ill-treatment will promptly be brought before the Turkish courts.

Moreover, the reform package also provides that sentences for the perpetrators of torture and ill-treatment may no longer be deferred or converted into fines.

I believe that these reforms will provide strong deterrence against torture and ill-treatment.

Let me now turn to the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. The previous Turkish Government introduced last year the right to re-trial based on the judgments of the Court. But its scope was rather limited. I take pleasure in informing you that last Thursday the Turkish Parliament approved a draft bill proposed by my government, which will provide the right to re-trial for all the judgments finalised by the Court. A finalised judgment of the Court will entitle the applicant to seek re-trial at the court, which heard the case in the first place.

This is a major step in aligning the Turkish legislation with the European norms. It is yet another indication of the reformist nature of my government.

Another often-stated human rights criticism concerns restrictions on the properties belonging to religious minority foundations. I am pleased to inform you that last week my government promulgated a by-law, which lifts these restrictions. This step testifies to the centuries-long traditions of multiculturalism and religious tolerance of the Turkish people.

Mr. President,

Turkey abolished the death penalty in August last year. Following that, my government signed the Sixth Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms on the fifteenth of this month. We are proceeding immediately with the ratification of the Sixth Protocol. Europe thus becomes a continent free of the death penalty.

The state of emergency, which lasted close to three decades, was lifted totally by my government in the first week following the vote of confidence. With habeas-corpus restored to the entire country, all Turkish citizens now enjoy the same legal guarantees.

We seek to complement domestic reforms by assuming new international commitments. We ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Ratification of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights will soon follow. Turkey thus will soon become party to all of the six major UN conventions.

In the medium term my government will introduce comprehensive legislation to the Parliament aimed at bringing Turkish law in line with the highest democratic standards. To that end, we will introduce a new press act, law on demonstrations and marches, law on associations, and a new penal code. We plan to transform state security courts into specialized tribunals mandated to fight organized crime. We are finalizing a draft bill which will compensate Turkish citizens for their losses suffered due to terrorism.

Our fundamental objective is to transform Turkey into a fully functioning European democracy. In the light of the ongoing international debate on the so-called clash of civilisations, popularised in the aftermath of September 11, perfecting Turkish democracy will have significance beyond the borders of my country.

We will perfect our democracy with the participation and support of the Turkish public. Our people is increasingly insistent on broader reforms. We will actively collaborate with the NGOs, both Turkish and international. Whenever applicable, we will seek the collaboration of the Council of Europe and the European Union. My government is committed to completely fulfilling the political criteria of the European Union to start accession negotiations as soon as possible.

It is in the light of these reforms, I urge the Assembly to evaluate Turkey's achievements in the fields of democracy, the rule of law and human rights and ask you to conclude the monitoring procedure for Turkey. It is obvious that Turkey does not deserve to be under the monitoring of the Assembly. My personal experience in this Assembly assures me that such a step will further strengthen our efforts in this regard.

Mr. President,

As we meet here, clouds of war are gathering in the Middle East. I believe that all of you share our concern on the situation in Iraq. The peoples living in the region have so far suffered immensely. The region cannot and should not endure another armed conflict. My government is sparing no effort to prevent war. We are exploring all possibilities to find a peaceful solution. I have visited several capitals to consult and coordinate our efforts with Iraq's neighbours. Last week, Foreign Ministers of six regional countries held a meeting in Istanbul and agreed in a regional road-map to avert war.

The prime responsibility for a peaceful solution lies with the Iraqi leadership. Iraq must cooperate fully with the United Nations and the UN inspectors. It must convince the international community that it has fully disarmed itself of weapons of mass destruction. This is the collective message I bring to you from all of Iraq's neighbours. I believe that it is a message you share.

We all know that the UN inspectors will be submitting their report to the UN Security Council in a few hours' time. I firmly believe that the United Nations process must be persistently followed.

In this process Turkey can and should be seen as an actor to convey the European norms to the region with a view to establishing lasting peace.

Dear Friends,

Permit me to make some short remarks about the Cyprus issue. The two Cypriot parties are now engaged in serious, detailed negotiations for a settlement based on the Annan Plan. My Government actively supports this process and will extend all the assistance to find an early solution.

Our government continues to be fully committed to a just and viable comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. We are closer than ever to ending a 40-year struggle.

Cyprus is the common home for two peoples. In order to reach a viable and lasting solution, both parties have to show respect and try to meet each other's respective concerns and sensitivities. We encourage the Turkish Cypriots to make substantive contributions to the process for achieving an early settlement. Both parties should be encouraged in order to render the Annan Plan mutually acceptable.

Mr. President,

The work of the Council of Europe touches the daily lives of Turkish citizens in a variety of ways. By way of illustration, let me mention that homes were built for earthquake victims with the support of Council of Europe Development Bank. Turkish experts help draft European conventions.

We bring our experience to the Council in the field of intercultural dialogue. Turkey also contributes to the work of Council of Europe in its cultural activities, among them EURIMAGES and the European Audiovisual Observatory. The cultural committees have always witnessed Turkey as a member bringing new ideas to the new challenges of the inter-cultural dialogue, with our rich cultural heritage.

As a founding member, we will continue to participate actively in the work of the Council. We in Turkey highly value your work in strengthening European stability based on common democratic norms.

As a former member of this body, I wish you all the best in your deliberations.

Thank you.