The conference on “The EU, Turkey and the Kurds”, which is being held on 22 – 23 November 2004 in the European Parliament, have been organized and sponsored by the Rafto Foundation, in co-operation with the Kurdish Human Rights Project and Medico International. Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu from South-Africa is the Patron of the Conference. The topics are “Human Rights Violations and Democratisation in Turkey” (session I), “Turkey’s European and International Obligations” (session II) and “Securing Peace, Democracy and Human Rights in Turkey” (session III).
(21-NOV-2004)

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Monday, 22 November 2004
14.00 – 15.30: Opening Session

14.00: opening remarks by the Organising Committee

14.10: “Video Speech” by the Patron of the Conference, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize, South Africa

14.20: Mr Hatip Dicle and Mr Selim Sadak
Former  DEP-Parliamentarians

14.50: Mrs Helen Flautre
Chair of the Sub-Committee of Human Rights, Member of the European Parliament

15.00: Lord Russell-Johnston
Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), former President of the PACE

15.10: Mr Peter Galbraith
Leading expert on Kurdish issues, international law and negotiation

15.20: Mr Cony Fredriksson
Head of the Kurdish Group within the Socialist International

 

Monday, 22 November 2004
15.30 – 18.30 : Session I
Human Rights Violations and Democratisation in Turkey
 
15.30: remarks by the co-chairmen of the “Session I”, Mr Jon Rud (Chairman of the Kurdish Working Group in the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network) and Mr Vittorio Agnoletto (Member of the European Parliament)

16.00: Freedom of Expression
Mr Akýn Birdal, Vice President of the International Federation of Human Rights

16.10: Current Human Rights Situation and Reforms
Mr Yusuf Alatas, Lawyer and President of the Human Rights Association of Turkey (ÝHD)

16.20: Democracy and reforms
Mr  Ayhan Bilgen, President of MAZLUM-DER

16.30: Internally Displacement and its Impact upon Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Mrs Þefika Gürbüz, President of the Immigrants’ Association for Social Cooperation and Culture (GÖÇ-DER)

16.40: Issues relating to Women and Children
Mrs Pervin Buldan, Association for People who have lost their Relatives (YAKAY-DER)

16.50: Assyrian Christians, Kurds and the EU membership of Turkey
Mr Matay Arsan, Expert in Assyian affairs and the Assyrian Political question

17.00: Human Rights and Torture
Mr Jean Paul Nunenz CIMADE-France

17.10: International Human Rights Standards and Turkey
Mr Sidiki Kaba  President of FIDH

17.20: Freedom of the Media
Mr Celal Baslangýc,Turkish journalist

Interventions followed by remarks and debate with the audience

Monitoring Group Meeting

20.00: Dinner

Tuesday 23 November 2004
09h30 – 13h00 : Session II
“Turkey’s European and International Obligations”

09h30: remarks by the co-chair of the “Session II”, Mrs Jean Lambert (Member of the European Parliament) and Mr Imam Gassan Solomon (Member of Parliament, South Africa, ANC)

09.45: Turkey and the European Union
Mr Joost Lagendijk, Chair of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee in EP

10.00: The European Union, the International Community and the “Kurdish question”
Mr Kay F. Schade, Chefeditor and Publisher of “Journal Entwicklungspolitik”.

10.15: The Role of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights
Mr Mark Muller, Vice President of the Bar Human Rights Committee

10.30: A Democratic Solution to the Kurdish Question
Mr Denzil Potgien, Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa

10.45: The Role of the European Parliament and Copenhagen Political Criteria
Mr Roger Kallif, PSE, Group Comimittee of Region

11.00: The Role of the Academician
Mr Michael Gunter, academician

11.15: Which Turkey in the European Union
Mr Francis Wurtz, Chair of the Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left Group in the EP

11.30: The role of the political parties for the solution of the “Kurdish Question”
Mr Tuncer Bakýrhan, President of DEHAP

Interventions followed by remarks and debate with the audience

Monitoring group meeting


Tuesday 23 November 2004
15h00 – 18h30 : Session III
“Securing Peace, Democracy and Human Rights in Turkey”

15h00: remarks by the co-chair of the “Session III”, Mrs Reyhan Yalcindag (ÝHD-Turkey) and Lord Rea (Labour – UK))

15.30: Turkey’s candidacy for membership in the European Union
Mrs Ann Clwyd, Member of Parliament,  UK, Chair Parliamentary Human Rights Group (to be confirmed)

15.45: The Role of Local Authorities and Democratisation in Turkey
Mr Osman Baydemir, Mayor of Diyarbakýr

16.00: Kurdish Perspectives for Turkey and the EU membership
Mr Ali Yiðit, Former Parliamentarian, Chair of KON-KURD (Confederation of Kurdish Associations in Europe)

16.10: Perspectives for Turkey and the EU membership
Mrs Nazan Ustundag

16.20: Turkish Perspectives for Turkey and the EU membership
Mr. Dogu Ergil , TESEV (to be confirmed)

16.30: Turkey and European Union
Member of Parliament, EPP-Group (name to be confirmed)

16.40: Implementation of Reforms
Representative of the European Commission (name to be Confirmed)

16.50: Monitoring Group Meeting

Final remarks by Mrs Nelly Maes (Chair of European Free Alliance Party, Former Chair of the Kurdish friendship group in EP) and the Organising Committe´s representatives

20.00: Dinner