"TURKEY IS SENSITIVE TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND BY NO MEANS IS BELOW THE UNIVERSAL STANDARDS ON THIS ISSUE"

Egemen Bagis, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator said that Turkey is a sensitive country to human rights and on this issue by no means is below the universal standards.

At the opening of the seminar on "Use of Force by Law Enforcement Bodies" held at Ankara Plaza Hotel Egemen Bagis, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator, Oguz Demiralp, Secretary General Ambassodor, and Marc Pierini, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey, each delivered speeches.

Starting his speech by expressing his regrets for the THY plane crash at Amsterdam, Bagis said that the developments both in the world and in Turkey affect the standarts of public service and that these developments also affect the relation between law enforcement officers and the citizens.

Stating that transparency, accountability and respect to human rights and freedom are important indicators in determining the standarts, and that Turkish law enforcement officers work with a far more self-sacrifice than the world to world standards, Bagis continued:

"We are not like countries just in the heart of Europe. Our neighbours are not France, Germany and Switzerland. Turkey's being considered as a transition country by ill-intentioned circles in terms of not only its neighbours, but its geographical position, and human and drug smuggling makes it diffucult for her to serve as a law enforcement officer."

Bagis stated that despite all these difficulties the law enforcement officers serving under bad circumstances have very important contributions to Turkey. He also added that as serving under all these bad circumstances it is not fair to corrode the institutions for the mistakes made by a few people of hundreds of thousands of people serving under these difficulties. However, he also stated that these institutions have to get rid of its members at fault.

Stating that Prime Minsiter Recep Tayyip Erdogan was put into jail while he was the Mayor but now he has become the voice of the world's conscience. He added that the point Turkey has reached doesn't satisfy them, for there are stil many areas requiring to be worked out in the name of democracy.

Reminding that not only the government but the opposition supports the EU membership target, Bagis said "If Anotolia is enthusiastic about an issue, it then achieves success. This was the same in the Republican era, in the Ottaman era, and before. Today there is an enthusiasim about EU in Turkey and it is the common interest of the public."

Bagis ended his speech with the saying of Willy Brandt, Germany's former Prime Minister: "If more democracy creates risks, we are ready to undertake those risks."