ANKARA - Onur Oymen, Parliamentary-European Union (EU) Adjustment Commission Acting Chairman, said on Friday that he told Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja the deficiencies of EU Commission's Progress Report on Turkey, and that particularly paragraph on Cyprus was biased, and that it would not help solution of Cyprus question.
Oymen met with Tuomioja in the Parliament.
Replying to questions of A.A correspondent after the meeting, Oymen said the meeting was very positive.
Oymen said such conditions were not put in front of Greek Cypriot side in EU full membership process, stressing that, ''we told Tuomioja that it was impossible for Turkey to accept this, and that this would not facilitate solution of Cyprus question.''
Oymen said there were unjust allegations and expectations in some other parts of the report which Turkey could not accept, noting that allegations that more than half of Turkish women were beaten by their husbands were also included in the report. Oymen said this was unsubstantiated and did not have a scientific basis.
Oymen said allegations that Turkish doctors eliminated the documents, including evidences of torture, were unacceptable, stressing that granting ecumenical status to patriarchate was unacceptable. He said this contradicted with the Lausanne Treaty, noting that changing Turkish alphabet was out of question. Oymen said this was not demanded from any European country.
Oymen said when the report was considered in current position, it is seen that the report was prepared in line with the political will of those who wanted to delay Turkey's membership.
Oymen said, ''we told him that we saw that efforts were underway to give priority to countries like Croatia, which did not pass from the process which Turkey had to, and countries whose candidacy were not accepted, and that efforts were underway to make countries like Croatia a member of the EU together with Bulgaria and Romania.'' He said this was not told to Turkey, and that this was a biased approach, adding that this contradicted with the principles which the EU defended.
When asked about the response of Finnish Foreign Minister Tuomioja to those views, Oymen said, ''he said he understood the criticisms, and that EU Commission should be relied on, and that EU tried to work within objective conditions, and that approaches in Europe toward Turkey were positive in general. He said reforms fulfilled in Turkey were appreciated, and that they tried to be impartial on Cyprus issue, and that they also tried to be constructive.''
AY-AÖ) 07.11.2003