Brussels, 28/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption of a resolution by practically all political groups on Thursday, the European Parliament called for the cessation of all action being taken against HADEP, the party that campaigns in favour of granting civil rights to ethnic Kurds in Turkey, and which denies "all formal link with the PKK or any other terrorist organisation", but runs the risk of coming under a barring order this Friday, before the Supreme Court of Turkey. "This is the least one can ask of a country that will be taking part in the Convention on the future of Europe tomorrow", exclaimed Francis Wurtz, President of the United Left/Nordic Greens Left Group, during the plenary debate on Wednesday evening. He remarked: "the only crime that HADEP is guilty of is that of ceasing to gain in influence, and of having guaranteed representation in Parliament despite a tailored-made law on introducing a 10% threshold". "Mr Verheugen, go to South-East Turkey and speak with the 37 Kurdish mayors", who will ask why they do not receive any of the Meda "kitty"!, exclaimed Feleknas Uca, a German of Turkish origin in the same group (and who recalled that over 10,000 students who have requested to be able to choose the Kurdish language as a study subject could be accused of separatism). A ban on HADEP would run counter to our principles and to our law, admitted European Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen, who recalled the progress made these last few months by Turkey concerning the Copenhagen political criteria. Such criteria have not yet been met, he stressed, however, and mainly denounced the lack of reform on the subject of freedom of opinion and association, the use of minority languages, and the death penalty. Speaking on behalf of the Council, Spanish Secretary of State Ramon de Miguel also placed emphasis on progress made (in 2001, there were 34 amendments to the Turkish Constitution, he recalled), saying that "the prospects of opening accession negotiations with Turkey are coming closer". He, too, recognised, however, that some reforms do not go far enough, and admitted that what really counts is the implementation of democratic reform and not just their adoption. Both Mr de Miguel and Mr Verheugen considered as significant the authorisation received by Amnesty International to set up an arm in Turkey. During the brief debate, the Swedish member of the EPP-ED Group, Lennart Sacrédeus, launched into a diatribe against Kemalism, noting that 23 political parties which wanted to combat it have been abolished in 40 years. He exclaimed: under such a regime, even my party (Kristdemokraterna) would not have been allowed to exist!