Amazing what can happen when you engage with "fanatics" instead of isolating them and/or placing sanctions on them. Seems that Turkey now outstrips the US in terms of human rights, at least I'd bet that Abdullah Ocalan thinks so.
Of course, this could still all go for naught when dubya sets fire to the powder keg, but for now it seems that European "butter-barrels" are being more successful than US "gun-barrels" at encouraging beneficial change.
Is there a general lesson here? One question, can anyone here name a single instance where general sanctions have achieved the intended effect without blowback? If not, why do we persist with them?
Regards
Hermit
[hr]
Turkey passes key reform package
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2168563.stm]BBC News
Authors: Jonny Dymond
Dated: 2002-08-03
Noticed by: [b]irvken
The Turkish parliament has formally approved a package of key democratic reforms, designed to improve the country's chances of European Union membership.
The death penalty wil be abolished, the ban on education and broadcasts in Kurdish lifted.
Final parliamentary confirmation came after a marathon all-night session, and now only requires the formality of presidential approval to become law.
Nationalist deputies strongly opposed the moves, seeing them as a concession to Kurdish rebels and their 15-year campaign for autonomy in the south-east of the country.
"We are happy that the death penalty is being lifted in Turkey," embattled Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said after the vote. "It is important that the EU's door open up for Turkey."
[b]Kurdish reform
The death penalty will be replaced by life imprisonment without parole, although it will remain on the statue books in wartime.
The change will save the life of jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan
The largest group in parliament, the Nationalist Action Party, made Ocalan's execution the centre of its 1999 election campaign.
No executions have been carried out since 1984, although dozens of people are on death row.
Members of the party told parliament that the families of those killed by the rebel Kurdish PKK were watching the debate.
But such arguments failed to deter deputies from abolishing the death penalty by a large majority - a move which set the mood for further votes.
Early on Saturday, parliament legalised Kurdish radio and television broadcasts - one of the most controversial elements of the reform package , which ends years of severe state restrictions.
The country's estimated 12 million Kurds will also be allowed to have private Kurdish-language education.
The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Istanbul says that to its supporters, the death penalty has been a sign of Turkey's resolve against terrorism, and to its opponents, a sign of state brutality and backwardness.
Experts say that supporters of the reforms want to adopt the whole package before campaigning starts for the general election on 3 November.
Turkey wants the EU to set a firm date by the end of the year when the country can start membership talks.
But Brussels insists reforms should be passed and implemented before it could consider such a move.
---- This message was posted by Hermit to the Virus 2002 board on Church of Virus BBS. <http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=51;action=display;threadid=25925>
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