Program - EU Turkey and the Kurds

SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS

September 19-20, 2005
European Parliament, Room ASP 1G3

Patrons
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Mrs. Bianca Jagger, Goodwill Ambassador of the Council of Europe
Mr. Harold Pinter, Playwright

MONDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2005
Opening Session: 15.00-17.00

13.00: Lunch at the European Parliament Restaurant

15.00: Opening Remarks by Chairwoman of the EUTCC Mrs. Kariane Westrheim

15.15: Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the EP,
on behalf of President of the European Parliament Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles

15.30: Mr. Hatip Dicle, former Turkish MP

15.45: Mr. Luc Van den Brande, Chairman of Political Group (PPE), Bureau of the Assembly of the Council of Europe 

16.00:  Mr. Vittorio Agnoletto, Coordinator of the Kurdish Friendship Group in EP

Coffee Break

MONDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2005
Session I: 17.00 -18.30

EU-Turkey Accession Talks – Perspectives for the EU and for Turkey

16.30: Remarks by the moderators, Mr. Luigi Vinci, Former MEP and Mrs. Uca Feleknas, MEP (GUE/NGL-Group)

Remarks about the EUTCC Conference Paper
Mr. Kerim Yildiz, EUTCC and KHRP, London

Turkish compliance with EU accession standards
Mr. Joost Lagendijk, MEP, President of Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee

EU accession and the future of the Kurds in Turkey
Mr. Tuncer Bakirhan, President of DEHAP

Turkey’s international obligations and the realization of peace and democracy
Mr. Conny Fredriksson, Chairman of Socialist International Working
Group on Kurdish Issues, on behalf of Secretary General of Socialist International Mr. Luis Ayala

17.30: Dialogue of Civilizations and Freedoms
Mr. Mehmed Uzun, Kurdish Writer

A social democratic perspective on Turkey’s future as an EU Member State
Mr. Selim Sadak, Former MP in Turkish Parliament

Turkey-EU membership talks: Opportunities and challenges
Mrs. Frieda Brepoels, MEP (PPE-Group)

18.15: Remarks and questions from the audience.

20.00: Dinner at Restaurant Le Defire Parisien , 16 Rue Jourdan, 1060 Brussels

TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER
Session II:  09.30 – 13.00

The EU-Turkey Negotiating Framework and the Current Situation in Turkey

09.30:  Remarks by the Moderators, Mrs. Jean Lambert, MEP (Verts/ALE-Group), and Mr. Numan Adlun, Assyrian Federation of France

09.40: The role of the EU in the negotiations with Turkey
Mr. John O'Rourke of DG Enlargement, European Commission, Turkey desk

09.55: Prospects for democratic dialogue and the non-violent resolution of the Kurdish question
Mr. Mark Muller, EUTCC and Bar Human Rights London/Wales

10.10: Fulfillment of the Copenhagen Criteria? Democracy, human rights and the Kurdish question
Mrs. Helene Flautre, MEP, Subcommittee on Human Rights, Chairwoman

10.25: EU accession and the future of the Kurds
Mr. Francis Wurtz, MEP, Chairman of GUE/NGL-Group

10.40: How to gain Democracy in Turkey
Mr. Naci Aslan, MP Turkish Parliament

10.55: Turkish EU membership – a chance for peace and reconciliation
Mr. Ali Yigit, Former MP and Chairman of KON-KURD

Coffee break

Women’s Rights in Turkey and Kurdish Cultural Rights, in the light of European and International Standards

11.20: A gender perspective on Turkey’s pro-EU reform process
Mrs. Margaret Owen, Women and Children's Advocate for the Kurdish Human Rights Project and Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales

11.35: Democratization and the experiences of women
Mrs. Elif Akgul, Chair of Women Wing of Egitim-Sen

11.50: Impediments to Turkish EU membership: Political oppression and the need to address the conflict in the regions
Lord Russell Johnston, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), former President of the PACE

12.05: Freedom of expression
Mr. Richard McKane, Writer, the English Centre of International PEN

12.20: Remarks and questions from the audience.
• Presentation of Draft Conference Resolution

13.00:  Lunch at the EP Restaurant

TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER
Session III: 15.00 – 18.30:

Human Rights, Democracy and Peace - Critical Factors

15.00: Remarks by the Moderators, Mr. Denzil Potgieter, South Africa, and Mr. Jan Beghin, Senator Brussels Parliament 

15.10: Turkey’s EU-inspired reforms and the reality on the ground in the Kurdish regions
 Mr. Akin Birdal, Vice-President of FIDH, Former Chairman of IHD, Turkey

15.25: The need for a robust approach to minority rights by the EU
Mr. Ayhan Bilgen, Vice-Chairman of Mazlum-Der, Turkey

15.40: Turkish Law in the light of European and International Standards
Mr. Sezgin Tanrikulu, Chairman of Diyarbakir Bar Association

15.55: The EU’s Negotiating Framework for Turkey: A credible agenda for accession negotiations?
Mrs. Pasqualina Napoletano, MEP, PSE-Group

16.10:  Resolving the Kurdish question – a pre-requisite for EU accession
Mr. Osman Baydemir, Mayor of Diyarbakir

16.25: Turkey’s political reality and the possibilities for securing a democratic resolution of the Kurdish question
Mr. Tarik Ziya Ekinci, former MP

16.40: The advancement of human rights in Turkey
Prof. Dr. Wolf Dieter Narr, Freie Universität, Berlin

16.55: The political context of the Turkey-EU relationship
Mr. Zuheyr Amber, Turkish MP

17.10: Turkey’s enforcement of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights;
Mr. Selim Okcuoglu, Director of TOHAV European Union Institution

17.25: Remarks and questions from the audience

• Discussion and Adoption of Conference Resolution

18.10: Final Remarks by
Mr. Jon Rud, EUTCC, Mr. Hans Branscheidt, EUTCC, Mrs. Sehnaz Turan Chairwoman of Foundation for Society and Legal Studies ( TOHAV) and
Mr. Hugo von Rompeay, Honorary Senator in Belgium

20.00: Dinner at Restaurant Le Defire Parisien, 16 Rue Jourdan, 1060 Brussels