STRASBOURG - There might be individual cases, but Turkish government has ''zero tolerance'' towards torture, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Answering questions of members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Erdogan said, ''those who affirm that there is still ideologically motivated torture in Turkey are people who were linked to terrorist organizations.''
When one of the parliamentarians asked if Turkish government was ready to do everything to prevent torture, to minimize the damages faced by Kurdish minority or to help people who want to return to their homes and villages, Erdogan reminded that European experts visited Turkey after EU Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen complained about these matters. He added that those experts saw that ''there was not systematic or any other kind of torture in Turkey''.
''There may be individual cases. But, our government has zero tolerance towards torture,'' Erdogan noted.
-TURKEY IS SECULAR-
When a French parliamentarian recalled that discussions on adultery had a negative impact on Turkey's image in Europe and asked about Erdogan's views, Erdogan said that Turkish people is secular in his/her daily life.
Noting that ''secularism was not something new for Turkey'', Erdogan said, ''religious and state affairs have been separated in a great extent. State is at equal distance to all different beliefs, and religions are under the guarantee of the state.''
Erdogan continued, ''Turkish Penal Code doesn't include adultery. This matter started to be discussed suddenly. And, when the media dwelled upon this matter, it drew interest of the public opinion. But, I think that it was overcome. This was not even a draft article of the Penal Code. Thus, when the new Penal Code was adopted, it didn't take its place in it. It was an ethical question. And, after the Penal Code was adopted, discussions were over.''
-''BRIDGE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS''-
Asked what kind of a role can Turkey play among Europe, Middle East and Far East countries, Erdogan said, ''I can describe it as a bridge not in geographical sense but a bridge among civilizations and cultures. Turkey is a country which may play the role of a bridge both for the Middle East and Far East.''
On the other hand, Erdogan met Luzius Wildhaber, President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Wildhaber expressed pleasure over the decrease of applications from Turkey to ECHR thanks to the reforms performed in Turkey.
(BRC-AY-GC-ULG) 06.10.2004