ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday that Turkey was very resolved in fight with human smuggling, adding that Turkey adopted the necessary regulations in addition to approving the international agreements on the issue.
Issuing a written statement, Gul said that the issue of human smuggling became a serious problem recently for all countries, noting ''fight with human smuggling is an important issue on which our government focuses.''
Gul stressed that Turkey started to become a target country for human smuggling due to its geographical status, democratic and economic structure.
Gul recalled that Turkey which was very resolved and willing to fight with human smuggling, signed the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its additional protocols on the smuggling of migrants and the trafficking in persons on December 13, 2000 and ratified them on March 18, 2003.
Foreign Minister Gul said that necessary regulations were also made in laws in parallel with international agreements, listing them as follows:
''Human smuggling is defined by making amendment in Turkish Penal Code (TCK) on August 3, 2002 and imprisonment between 5 years and 20 years is envisaged for these crimes. Necessary change has made in Citizenship Law and draft law regarding Labor Permission of Foreigners is approved.''
Noting that Turkey completed necessary legal arrangement in fight against human smuggling and started to implement it, Gul said that a total of six cases were heard until now according to Article No. 201/b of TCK and a total of 17 suspects were tried and a total of 14 people became victims due to this committed crimes.
Gul said that Foreign Ministry was ''national coordinator'' in fight against human smuggling and added that a ''Mission Team in Fight Against Human Smuggling'' was formed with the participation of concerned ministries and organizations and with the initiative of Foreign Ministry.
Noting that Action Plan which was prepared following the studies of mission team was approved by Prime Ministry and concerned institutions were directed with this, Gul said that Interior Ministry considered to determine education and social centers that were inactive and turn them into shelters where human smuggling victims could stay.
Stating that a committee was formed for fight against human smuggling under the body of Interior Ministry, Gul said that training programs were also organized for security personnel in several cities.
Gul said that those seminars would continue and stated that Gendarme and Coast Guard Commands would organize seminars to give training on fight against human smuggling to personnel as of October.
Noting that Justice Ministry also participated in those activities, he recalled that 600 judge and prosecutors had training on the issue in several cities between October 2002 and February 2003.
Gul added that seminars would also be held in Ankara and Antalya in September and October.
He recalled that Woman's Status and Problems Directorate General also held a panel on fight against human smuggling to make society be sensitive on the issue.
Gul said, ''the first part of seminars which were foreseen to be completed by Prime Ministry Human Rights Chairmanship till June 2004 for public workers, non governmental organizations and press members was completed. Those seminars were held in 10 cities.
A Council of Ministers decision was prepared by the Health Ministry to assure treatment of victims of human smuggling for free, and it was sent to the Prime Ministry on August 11, 2003 for approval.''
Foreign Minister Gul stressed that Turkey had also launched initiatives for cooperation with neighboring source countries to solve problems of victims of human smuggling by actively participating in all efforts of international organizations, particularly the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Council of Europe (COE) in this field.
(Öª-GC-EÖ-MS-AÖ) 12.08.2003