ISTANBUL - Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (COEPA) President Peter Schieder said on Tuesday that he believed Turkey would put reforms into practice.
Delivering a speech at opening of COEPA Chairmanship Council meeting, Schieder said that Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc was a perfect Turkish politician and a friend of COE.
Noting that Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul who was expected to participate in the meeting could not attend due to his busy schedule regarding Cyprus, Schieder said that Cyprus was an important issue for COE as well.
Schieder said that Turkey has been member of COE since 1949 and added that Turkey has undertaken all responsibilities of pluralist democracy, state of law and human rights.
Schieder said, ''I believe Turkey will put reforms into practice. Member countries always have responsibilities. Turkey has fulfilled in two years the reforms which will be implemented in ten years.''
Giving examples to those reforms, Schieder said that death penalty was abolished and cultural rights were given to Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin.
Referring to Cyprus issue, Schieder said, ''Cyprus will be face to face with a historical opportunity on April 24. I think Turkish and Greek governments and two sides in Cyprus will take a balanced decision.''
COE Secretary General Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly Bruno Haller and 18 parliamentarians from countries such as Britain, Italy, Belgium and Germany participated in the meeting.
A colloquy on dialogue between Europe and the Middle East will be held on Wednesday by COEPA's Sub-Committee on the Middle East within the scope of Chairmanship Council meeting.
Meanwhile, COEPA Turkish Delegation Chairman and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy leader Murat Mercan told A.A correspondent that Turkey has been under screening process of the council since 1996 and the Screening Commission of the Council recommended lifting of screening process on Turkey and he added that this recommendation would be brought onto agenda today to discuss it during General Assembly of the Council which would be held in Strasbourg in the end of April.
Mercan said, ''lifting of screening process on Turkey will be taken up in general assembly of the council in the end of this month. Lifting of screening process is one of the pre-conditions for meeting Copenhagen criteria... If a positive decision is taken for Turkey in the general assembly, Turkey will have the status of a country which meets the criteria of Copenhagen.''
(GC-AY) 06.04.2004