WESTMACOTT: ANY NEGATIVE DECISION IN DECEMBER REGARDING TURKEY'S ACCESSION PROCESS TO EU WILL CAUSE DISAPPOINTMENT IN BRITAIN
ANKARA - British Ambassador in Ankara Peter Westmacott said on Friday that any negative decision in December regarding Turkey's accession process to European Union (EU) would cause disappointment in Britain.
Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek and British Ambassador Westmacott held a joint news conference prior to the start of third phase of judges and prosecutors' training on human rights.
Britain attributes importance to Turkish jurisdiction's reaching EU standards, told Westmacott at the news conference.
Westmacott said British government always wanted to see Turkey as a full member of the EU, stating that implementation of the reforms were important as well as the legal arrangements.
Westmacott recalled statements of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several other ministers that Turkey wanted the reforms for Turkey, not because Europe wanted them.
Westmacott said the target of the studies was to record progress in meeting Copenhagen criteria, stressing that British government hoped and wanted Turkey's accession process to EU would start in December.
CICEK: COURTS DON'T TAKE DECISIONS TO MEET POLITICAL EXPECTATIONS
Cicek said that courts did not take decisions to meet political expectations and stated that judiciary was independent in Turkey.
Cicek noted that the third phase would start in 30 training centers in nine regions of Turkey on April 5, 2004 and end on June 11, 2004, stating that about 9250 judges and prosecutors would have training.
British Embassy would also support the third phase of the project which was launched with cooperation of the European Union (EU), he noted. He said that training would cost 1 trillion 300 billion Turkish liras (TL), and general budget would meet 434 billion TL of it, Labor Home Institution's budget would meet 600 billion TL and British Embassy would meet 266 billion TL of it.
When asked whether or not those studies would reduce violations against human rights, Cicek said that laws were passed to get rid of those violations and noted, ''Turkey recorded great progress on that issue. There are some shortcomings. Turkey will catch standards of Europe with such training projects.''
Replying to a question on re-trial of the former deputies of the Democracy Party (DEP) which was banned by the Constitutional Court, Cicek said that he did not know how the case would conclude and noted that judiciary was independent in Turkey. He underlined that judges made decisions in line with the laws and their conscience.
Recalling that re-trial process started after European Court of Human Rights's (ECHR) assessment that there was human rights violation on the case, Cicek said, ''it is explained wrongly by some circles in Turkey. It is explained as if a decision would be made in accordance with the decision of ECHR. This issue has been brought to the agenda of politics. There are political expectations. Courts don't decide to meet political expectations. Courts decide according to laws, evidences in dossiers and judges' conscience.''
Replying to a question on constitutional amendment, Cicek said that laws should be passed in accordance with the Constitution and noted that but there were some articles which did not comply with EU acquisition in the current Constitution.
''There is a contradiction here. People cannot make laws which don't comply with the Constitution. But the Constitution don't comply with the acquisition. There are some articles which should be changed in the current Constitution. We should focus on the Constitution now.''
(EÖ-AÖ) 02.04.2004