EU urges Turkey to probe May Day police crackdown
(Adds EU chapters, details)
By Zerin Elci and Selcuk Gokoluk
ANKARA, May 6 (Reuters) - The European Commission accused Turkish police on Tuesday of using excessive force against protesters during an outlawed May Day rally and called on authorities to investigate the events.
Turkish riot police fired water cannon and teargas in running clashes with crowds in central Istanbul on Thursday, detaining more than 500 people. Dozens of people were injured.
"We in the commission deplore this disproportionate use of force on the first of May," Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said, adding the Commission expected an investigation.
Turkey's main opposition parties also called for an investigation and asked Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to apologise for the police violence.
The EU sees democratic reforms, including human rights, as a key requirement in Turkey's ambitions to join the bloc.
"We reiterated our call for the Turkish authorities to act within European law and practice, (and) to respect trade union rights in line with EU standards," Rehn told a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan following a bi-annual trilateral meeting with the EU, Turkey and EU presidency.
Turkey began EU membership talks in 2005, but they have been held back by the continued division of Cyprus, slow progress in EU-mandated reforms and frosty attitudes in some EU countries such as France.
Babacan was quoted by Turkish officials as telling Rehn and other European officials that his government had suggested another site for the May Day parade, but that trade unions insisted on the symbolic Taksim square.
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Earlier on Tuesday Erdogan rejected criticism of police action and blamed trade unions for the protests, which had been banned due to intelligence reports that radical groups planned to stage violent protests.
He criticised the media for biased reporting on the events.
The EU began accession talks with Turkey in October 2005 and has so far opened five of the 35 so-called "chapters" of reform work that must be completed to conclude the accession process.
Turkey has pledged to speed up reforms after the pace slowed considerably over the past two years.
The recent passage of reforms that improve freedom of speech and minority rights in Turkey were positive and that talks were on track, Rehn said.
A Turkish foreign ministry official, who declined to be named, told reporters that he expected chapters on company and intellectual property laws to be opened on June 17. (Writing by Selcuk Gokoluk; editing by Jon Boyle)
By Zerin Elci and Selcuk Gokoluk
ANKARA, May 6 (Reuters) - The European Commission accused Turkish police on Tuesday of using excessive force against protesters during an outlawed May Day rally and called on authorities to investigate the events.
Turkish riot police fired water cannon and teargas in running clashes with crowds in central Istanbul on Thursday, detaining more than 500 people. Dozens of people were injured.
"We in the commission deplore this disproportionate use of force on the first of May," Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said, adding the Commission expected an investigation.
Turkey's main opposition parties also called for an investigation and asked Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to apologise for the police violence.
The EU sees democratic reforms, including human rights, as a key requirement in Turkey's ambitions to join the bloc.
"We reiterated our call for the Turkish authorities to act within European law and practice, (and) to respect trade union rights in line with EU standards," Rehn told a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan following a bi-annual trilateral meeting with the EU, Turkey and EU presidency.
Turkey began EU membership talks in 2005, but they have been held back by the continued division of Cyprus, slow progress in EU-mandated reforms and frosty attitudes in some EU countries such as France.
Babacan was quoted by Turkish officials as telling Rehn and other European officials that his government had suggested another site for the May Day parade, but that trade unions insisted on the symbolic Taksim square.
MORE CHAPTERS
Earlier on Tuesday Erdogan rejected criticism of police action and blamed trade unions for the protests, which had been banned due to intelligence reports that radical groups planned to stage violent protests.
He criticised the media for biased reporting on the events.
The EU began accession talks with Turkey in October 2005 and has so far opened five of the 35 so-called "chapters" of reform work that must be completed to conclude the accession process.
Turkey has pledged to speed up reforms after the pace slowed considerably over the past two years.
The recent passage of reforms that improve freedom of speech and minority rights in Turkey were positive and that talks were on track, Rehn said.
A Turkish foreign ministry official, who declined to be named, told reporters that he expected chapters on company and intellectual property laws to be opened on June 17. (Writing by Selcuk Gokoluk; editing by Jon Boyle)
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