Bahceli: Make Turkey An Honorable And Efficient E.U. Member

ANTALYA (A.A) - 24.06.2002 - Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said on Sunday that their duty was to make Turkey an honorable and efficient member of the European Union (EU) by protecting national sensitivities and interests.
Bahceli, who joined some activities in Korkuteli township of southern Antalya province said, ''our duty is to make Turkey an honorable and efficient EU member by protecting national sensitivities and interests not to carry our country to the EU whatever the cost is.''
''The issues of which we can no way make concessions are issues related with the future of our nation and country. Many issues which we insist on for the integrity of our country and solidarity and unity of our nation are intensively discussed these days. One of these issues is the point we have reached in the EU adjustment process. Our duty is to make Turkey an honorable and efficient EU member by protecting national sensitivities and interests not to carry our country to the EU whatever the cost is,'' Bahceli said.
Bahceli noted that indexing the opening of EU membership negotiations on immediate abolition of death sentence, education and broadcasting in mother tongue and Cyprus question was a big mistake and misfortune.
''Our nation is seeing that the unconditional promises of support for abolition of death sentence and enabling education and broadcasting in Kurdish given at the summit about the EU held under the auspices of the President, and the further statements and guarantees are in fact put forth by some conditions and some political maneouvres,'' Bahceli said.
''No one can deceive or mislead Turkish nation with meaningless slogans. It should not be forgotten that PKK and Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) had still been continuing their activities although they were included in the EU's list of terrorist organizations as a result of our insistent statements. Also, it is not possible to understand the uneasiness stemming from our drawing attention to the efforts aiming at connecting the terrorist organization's political targets with the Copenhagen criteria while KADEK and similar organizations were not included in the list of terrorist organizations. The nationalist movement will draw attention to efforts to index immediate and full abolishment of death sentence on Abdullah Ocalan, the head of terrorist organization PKK, and to grant right of broadcasting and education in Kurdish language which are the political targets of the terrorist organization, in such a conjuncture,'' he stressed.
Bahceli continued, ''our nation will not welcome and allow efforts of circles aiming at reviving the terrorist organization.''
Referring to the Cyprus question, Bahceli said that the Cyprus question was one of national cases of Turkish nation.
''It is not possiple to tolerate efforts to take up the Cyprus question within the framework of thesis of Greece and the Greek Cypriot side. The EU's thought of paving the way for the Greek Cypriot side to become a full member of the EU, contradicts with historical and legal facts. Under the influence of Greece and the Greek Cypriot side, the EU has been calling on Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side to make some self-sacrifices. We cannot accept these calls anyway. We will continue to support Turkish Cypriot community and its distinguished President Rauf Denktas,'' he added.