Bonino rejects attacks over Union stance on rebel Kurd

Date: 25/02/1999

By Simon Taylor

HUMANITARIAN Affairs Comm- issioner Emma Bonino has hit back at Ankara's accusations that the EU is interfering in Turkish affairs over the Ocalan case.

Bonino said this week that Turkey should respect Union standards on human rights and the process of law if it wanted to become a member of the bloc.

The Commissioner's comments came as human rights groups attacked European governments for missing a “unique opportunity” to stand up for the rights of the Kurds.

Replying to accusations from Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit that a statement by EU foreign ministers calling for international monitors to observe Abdullah Ocalan's trial amounted to improper interference in internal affairs, Bonino told European Voice: “I do not understand the indignation of the Turkish authorities after the EU statement because all the statement does is reaffirm the rules of the club. If the Turks do not respect the rule of the club, they cannot join.”

Bonino also called on Ankara to keep its promise to give Ocalan a fair trial. “When one talks about the right to a fair trial or not using torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment, it is useful to remember that we are talking about precise actions,” she said.

Ocalan's prosecutor said this week that he would be seeking the death penalty for the Kurdish leader despite earlier assurances from Ankara that Turkey had stopped using capital punishment.

The Brussels-based organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed that EU governments had destroyed Ocalan's chances of getting a fair trial.

HRW's Brussels director Lotte Leicht said the Kurdish leader should have been put before an international court when he was on European soil. She argued that by failing to take a common line, the Union had allowed Turkey to “give Europe the finger” and had “lost any leverage over Ankara”. Meanwhile, the Kurdish people who most need justice and a political solution to the problem were the ones paying the price for Europe's failure.

If the Kurdish rebel leader had stood trial in Europe under international standards, said Leicht, the EU could have increased pressure on Ankara to find a political solution to the Kurdish problem. “Europe could have said to the Turks: 'we have done our part. Now it's up to you',” she added.

EU foreign minister could only agree a bland statement this week urging both the Kurds and the Turks to find a political solution to the crisis, despite several hours of intense discussions in Luxembourg.