07/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - CDU MEPs Werner Langen and Armin Laschet announced in a press release on Tuesday that French and German members of the EPP-Ed group at the European Parliament decided at a meeting in Paris to present common amendments next week in Strasbourg to the Eurling report on turkey, which will outline a proposal for a privileged partnership with Ankara as an alternative to EU accession. This partnership could cover: common trade policy, cooperation on developing the rule of law, respect for human rights, recognition of minorities, common immigration control structures and monitoring of the sea, development aid, a peaceful settlement in Cyprus, cooperation in the fields of culture and education, common objectives in foreign and defence policy. The amendments demand: "formal recognition of the historical reality of the genocide against the Armenians in 1915 and the swift opening up of the borders between Turkey and Armenia; recognition by Ankara of the Republic of Cyprus and the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Cyprus; the immediate abolition of Article 305 from the new Turkish penal code, which punishes and "threats" to "fundamental national interests" such as the expression of opinions hostile to the Turkish military presence in Cyprus or recognition of the Armenian genocide; respect of the conclusions of the European Council of June 1993 according to which the EU's capacity to welcome new members would depend on the level of European integration and the interests of both the EU and candidate countries.