ANKARA - Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said on Tuesday that international cooperation was necessary in fight with terrorism.
Speaking in the joint news conference with Cicek, French Justice Minister Dominique Perben expressed sorrow over the terrorist attacks in Istanbul and noted that French people were in solidarity with Turkish people.
Perben said that they took up judicial and legal cooperation between Turkey and France in their bilateral meeting and they referred to reforms undertaken by Turkey and cooperation opportunities that could open Turkey's EU membership process.
Justice Minister Cicek said that Perben's expressing sorrow over the terrorist attacks was very important for Turkey.
Stressing that terrorism was a crime against humanity, Cicek said that everybody should accept that, if not terrorism would continue to kill innocent people.
Turkey knew that antidote for terrorism was international resolution and cooperation, said Cicek noting that ''terror is a puzzle having various parts. Information and documents about these parts are in various countries. If these information, experience and cooperation come together on the table, the puzzle will be totally solved. If not, the puzzle faces partial solution, and then many countries will suffer from it. France also experienced terrorism in certain degree, it saw its difficulties and suffered from it. Therefore coming of such countries together will constitute a very important step in fight with terrorism.''
Noting that Turkey and France tried to contribute to peace and human rights in many organizations such as UN, NATO, COE, Cicek said that he thought that cooperation could be made between Turkey Justice Academy and its similar institution in France.
''I hope young jurists will exchange views about the law on fight with terrorism in their next meetings, because there is deficiency in law which encourages terrorism in some way,'' Cicek said.
When a journalist asked the view of French government about wearing head scarf, Perben said that it was forbidden for women to put on head scarf in schools and administrative institutions in France. Noting that this was not the legal regulation, but the rule, Perben said that it was discussed currently in France whether to adopt a law on this rule.
When another journalist reminded the statements of Britain and some other countries which called their citizens not to go to Turkey after the terrorist attacks in Istanbul and asked his view, Perben said ''now I am in Ankara. My reply to that question constitutes a message of friendship and support.''
Responding to a question about candidacy process of Turkey to EU, Perben said that French Justice Ministry was preparing to make legal cooperation with Turkish Justice Ministry to contribute to legal reforms carried out in Turkey and to train judges and prosecutors. Noting that this was a study to be carried out within the scope of studies related to Turkey's getting a possible date from EU in December 2004, Perben said that the date would be given to Turkey if its reforms were going to be considered sufficient. France would make cooperation with Turkey to further advance this process, he added.
(Öª) 09.12.2003