ANKARA - Italian Ambassador to Ankara Vittorio Claudio Surdo said on Friday that the adoption of the seventh adjustment package by the parliament was a very important step, stressing the importance of implementation of the law.
Speaking to A.A correspondent, Surdo said that Turkish officials also noted that there were many things to do in field of legislation, adding that he heard that a new package of law could come to the parliament next year. Amendments in other laws could also come to agenda, he said, adding that some of the amendments made by these seven packages could be taken up again. Surdo noted that a new constitution could also come to agenda as mentioned by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, following the adoption of the seventh package.
Noting that Turkey was in a very long process in respect of EU and that the seventh adjustment package constituted an important stage in that process, Surdo said that everybody regarded the seventh package as regulations concerning the National Security Council (NSC). Surdo stated that the regulation about fight with torture and education in different dialects which were also covered by the package were as important as the regulations about NSC, pointing out to the importance of the practice following the adoption of the legal regulation.
The Italian Ambassador stated that one could adopt the most important law of the world, but such a law would not have any meaning unless it was put into practice, adding yet he saw that Turkish officials were resolved in putting into practice the mentioned legal regulations.
Surdo said that the government had earlier announced the year 2004 as the year of implementation, remarking that Turkey had a period of 4-5 months until the EU summit to be held at the end of the year. Heads of EU member states would definitely take into consideration positive developments if concrete results were to be taken in that period, Surdo said.
Upon a question asking if terrorist organization PKK-KADEK's members who could not benefit from the Reassociation Law could take shelter in EU member states, Surdo said he found the law positive. Certainly the feelings of families of martyrs were taken into consideration while forming that law, he said adding he didn't want to comment on the future of those 100 top-members of the terrorist organization. Surdo said that Norwegian government denied the news claiming that they would be sent to Norway, adding he thought the Turkish government would not be warm to that idea. Surdo stressed that putting this law into practice and its success would not be enough, adding that the thing that mattered the most was to remove the social and economic imbalance in the southeast Anatolian region. The law would not be successful as long as it was not complemented with such a project, he commented.
Surdo indicated that if the Turkish government prepared a concrete programme aiming economic and social development of the southeast Anatolian region, it would be supported economically in the international arena.
If such a dynamism was in question, Surdo said that both foreign and domestic private sector would contribute to that programme. Surdo stressed that southeast Anatolian region was a region having a big potential, adding that the aim was to eliminate the regional imbalances and differences within the country which constituted one of the main criteria of the national programme for adoption of acquis (NPAA).
Upon a question about the U.S. demand of Turkish soldiers for Iraq, Surdo said that he could not talk about that issue on behalf of other EU member states. Italy had a military force in Iraq, he said noting that Turkey's sending soldiers to Iraq would only please Italy. The military presence of Turkey in the region was a source of confidence, he said, adding that he found Turkey right in perceiving the issue not only as a military approach, but as a means of much broader cooperation.
(Öª-AÖ) 01.08.2003