Schily: Importance Of Turkey's Eu Membership Should Not Be Despised

BERLIN - German Interior Minister Otto Schily said on Thursday that importance of Turkey's EU membership should not be despised.
Speaking at a conference held by Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD) in German capital Berlin on ''Europe Waits for Turkey'', Schily said that if Turkey continued preserving European values with its Muslim population and secular system, it would have an important development in fight against terrorism since fundamentalist groups had been trying to hamper relations between the Islam world and the Western world.
Stressing that the reform process in Turkey should be supported, Schily said it would be also beneficial to the EU. He said that the EU's strategic importance would further increase with Turkey's membership.
Recalling that the European Commission had recommended the EU to open entry negotiations with Turkey in its Progress Report, Schily reiterated that the German government had been supporting Turkey's EU membership process.
''A number of reforms have been made in Turkey. Minorities have been granted rights. Death penalty was lifted. And the Turkish government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards torture. I heard that Turkey will sign the Rome Statute about establishment of the International Criminal Court to deal with war crimes and crimes against humanity. I want to congratulate Turkey,'' Schily added.
(UK-MS) 21.10.2004