Brussels, 09/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan announced on 8 January that the Turkish government had decided to postpone reform of the controversial law on the freedom of expression (Article 301). The day before, the minister for justice, Mehmet Ali Sahin, affirmed that amendment to Article 301 would be discussed at the Council of Ministers and presented to Parliament next week (EUROPE 9574). The law in question, which the EU would like to see amended or abolished as soon as possible, refers to Article 301 of the Turkish penal code and makes any insult of “Turkishness” a crime. This article is regularly used by the Turkish legal system against writers and journalists. According to Turkish diplomats, this will only involve a slight delay, due to technical reasons. They believe that the draft reform will be approved by the Turkish government by “next week at the latest”, before being submitted to Parliament. The European Commission and member states share the opinion that accession negotiations with Ankara on the “justice and fundamental rights” chapter cannot begin until Article 301 has been amended.
In the meantime, US President George Bush reiterated his country's support for Turkey's future EU accession. Greeting the Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, in Washington on 8 January, Bush affirmed that Turkey's entry into the Union “would be in the interest of peace”, adding, “I strongly believe that Europe will benefit when Turkey is a member of the European Union”. The US president said that this would mean Turkey becoming “a constructive bridge between Europe and the Muslim world”. (H.B.)