Vol. 557 No. 6
107 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the representations he has made on behalf of the Kurdish nation to the jurisdictions which presently encompass Kurdistan, and to international agencies, including the United Nations. [23139/02]
I take the Deputy's reference to Kurdistan as meaning those areas of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria in which the majority of the population has traditionally been of Kurdish ethnic origin. As regards Turkey, which is a candidate for EU membership, the Government, in common with our EU partners, has expressed its concern about the situation relating specifically to Kurdish issues, including the imprisonment of members of DEP, a political party widely regarded as having represented the Kurdish perspective, the closure case against HADEP, DEP's successor, and the limitations on freedom of expression in the Kurdish language. The Irish embassy continues to monitor the human rights situation in Turkey.
I welcome the three sets of human rights reforms which have been adopted in Turkey this year. Application of the death penalty has been abolished in peacetime. The state of emergency in two provinces of the south east has been lifted and the decision taken to lift it in the two provinces where it still applies by the end of the year. Broadcasting and education in languages other than Turkish have now been authorised. All of these measures, if fully implemented, will undoubtedly enhance the cultural and ethnic rights of all citizens of Turkey, including those of Kurdish origin. I share the view taken by the EU Commission in its regular report on Turkey's progress towards accession for 2002 that the reforms provide much of the ground work for strengthening democracy and the protection of human rights in Turkey. I also accept that the reforms contain a number of significant limitations on the full enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms and that to be effective they need to be implemented in practice by executive and judicial bodies throughout Turkey. I take this opportunity to encourage the new Turkish Government to continue to enact the regulations quickly in order to ensure that the letter and spirit of the reforms can take effect without delay.
No specific approaches in respect of Kurds have been made recently to the Governments of the other countries in which a Kurdish minority resides. However, the general human rights situation in these countries, as in other countries, is kept under review and is addressed as necessary in démarches relating to individual cases or in relevant UN fora where human rights are considered. Together with our partners in the European Union, the Government will continue to work to ensure that our concerns about human rights are highlighted in contacts with the relevant Governments. Kurdish matters have not appeared on the agenda of the UN Security Council, however, in Resolution 1441, adopted on 8 November, the Security Council reaffirmed the commitment of all member states to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, Kuwait, and the neighbouring states.
