ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Thursday that Turkey would be a country where human rights was fully respected.
''This is the promise we gave to our people irrespective of EU membership bid,'' said Gul.
Supreme Board of Human Rights convened the same day under the leadership of Gul.
Addressing the opening of the meeting, Gul said that human rights had universal character today.
No country had the right to say that it was independent regarding human rights, said Gul, adding that everybody had the right to speak and interfere with human rights violations that took place in any part of the world.
''Today our constitution is based on rule of law and the rule of law is based on basic human rights. Turkey is a country which signed all human rights documents and they became part of our law. In addition to them, Turkey carried out extraordinary tasks during EU process. Particularly the reform laws which the government adopted in the last one year, made human rights standards EU standards,'' Gul said.
Gul said that the government adopted the Law on Right to Get Information and took important steps on its implementation and also formed a ''Reform Follow-up Committee'' to fulfill this completely. Noting that they established Prime Ministry Human Rights Directorate and Higher Board of Human Rights within this scope, Gul said that a total of 930 human rights board were formed in all provinces and towns and through those boards they made controls to carry human rights standards to universal standards and they conveyed problems to center.
Gul said that all of those were a part of EU process, but even if EU membership was not in question, they were determined to implement human rights standards in each part of the country and equally within universal understanding. He added that although sometimes there were some problems, they intervened, but in recent years an extraordinary recovery was realized in this issue. He said that international organizations were also aware of this.
When asked what kind of change was planned in the structure of human rights boards, Gul said that the structures of boards would be examined and associations and public servants that were members of those boards would also be examined. He added that the boards would be made more active.
Noting that complaints regarding violation of human rights in Turkey decreased, Gul said that Turkey would certainly be a country in which human rights would be fulfilled on the best way in universal meaning and this was their target. He added that whether or not EU was in question, this was promise that they had given to people.
When recalled the decision of the delegates committee of the Council of Europe (COE) which asked Turkey to pay compensation to Greek Cypriot woman Titiana Loizidou till November 19 at the latest as a requirement of the decision of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and asked information about the issue, Gul said that Turkey took important steps in this issue and showed a compromising attitude, adding that negotiations would continue.
(ÖŞ-GC-AY) 13.11.2003