ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul received Turkey-European Parliament (EP) Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) Co-President Joost Lajendik on Thursday.
Responding questions of journalists following the meeting, Lajendik said that he had come to Turkey to attend the trial of Leyla Zana, one of former deputies of the Democracy Party (DEP).
Reminding that he had held a meeting with Justice Minister Cemil Cicek earlier in the day, Lajendik said that he had asked both Cicek and Gul not to despise the symbolic importance attributed by the EP to the trial of Zana.
Lajendik said he thought that no one would believe that there had been changes in Turkey unless Zana and her friends were released.
Noting that Justice Minister Cicek had already announced to the public opinion earlier that Zana should be released, Lajendik quoted Cicek as telling him that he should be optimistic.
When asked whether a possible agreement to be reached between the two sides in Cyprus would become a part of the law of the European Union (EU), Lajendik said that according to his point of view, the agreement could become a part of the EU law.
He said that he was quite sure that a possible agreement would comply with the EU law.
Noting that he had congratulated Gul for recent developments on the Cyprus issue, Lajendik told reporters that if an agreement was reached in the island before May 1, 2004, Turkey's EU membership chance would increase considerably.
Pointing out that the progress recorded by Turkey in fulfilling political criteria was also brought onto agenda of his meeting with Gul, Lajendik highlighted importance of Turkish government's putting into practice legal changes.
(UK) 19.02.2004