BRUSSELS, — In a press statement at the European Parliament, Socialist group leader Hannes Swoboda called on Turkish authorities to re-launch negotiations with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) to overcome the problem of the Kurdish people, ANF reports.
European Parliament Socialist group leader Hannes Swoboda underlined that the indispensability to the solution of the Kurdish issue and the problems in the areas of freedom of press and thought as well as human rights in Turkey should be approached earnestly.
Swoboda pointed out that the European Union should also take responsibility in respect to the relations with Turkey and noted that it is now indispensable to lead the way to a solution to the current main problems in Turkey, the Kurdish issue in particular.
One other press conference on Turkey’s problems was held by Co-President of the European Parliament for the Greens, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who said that; “Alarm bells are already ringing in Turkey in the context of freedom of expression, as observed in the case of arrest of numerous journalists.”
Remarking that basic human rights are violated in Turkey where-he said- a great number of thought prisoners, including over 100 journalists, are currently held under arrest, Cohn-Bendit reminded that he will bring Turkey’s file to the table during the EP’s session to be held in Brussels next week.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit also pointed out that the EU should now give up irritating Turkey and in this respect indicated that the EU played a negative role by blocking 23rd and 24th paragraphs of negotiation titles with Turkey. The mutual non-confidence between the EU and Turkey should now be replaced by trust, added Cohn-Bendit.