German parliamentarian Claudia Roth, noting that Leyla Zana had only been able to visit
with her children from behind a pane of glass in the past two years, said, "She should be
appointed as an ambassador."

ANKARA
Nov 24, 2000
Ozgar Politika

German deputy from the Greens Party and Chairman of the Human Rights and
Humanitarian Assistance Commission Claudia Roth met with former deputy from the
Democracy Party (DEP) Leyla Zana for the first time in five years. Roth called for Zana to
be released and said, "She should be appointed as an ambassador."

Roth, whose last visit with Zana was in 1995, met with her once again the other evening at
Ulucanlar Prison in Ankara. Arriving at the prison with a bouquet of flowers in her hand,
Roth said, "I brought these flowers for Leyla. We haven't seen each other for years. I am
very excited." Roth was able to visit with Zana for about an hour. Upon her departure, Roth
said that the conditions under which Zana was being kept were not good. Roth noted that
Zana had only been able to visit with her children from behind a pane of glass for the past
two years, and said, "A mother should be able to touch her son and daughter, she should be
able to hold their hands. Please, Mr. Hikmet Sami Turk, remove that glass partition." Roth
said that she and Zana had appraised the recent political climate together and that Zana had
expressed her hopes that the EU process would proceed positively. Roth said that Zana had
pointed out the historic importance of the silencing of weapons in Turkey and expressed her
desire for peace. Roth continued: "Additionally, she made the most beautiful analogy I have
heard to date. She said that Turkey was a field of flowers with different fragrances, colors,
and tastes and pointed out the importance of this richness." Roth concluded by saying, "I
want with all my heart for these doors to be opened. I want Leyla Zana to be appointed at
Turkey's Ambassador. This would be very good for Turkey."

Not allowed to see the other DEP prisoners

Answering reporters' questions concerning the condition of the other former DEP deputies
Hatip Dicle, Selim Sadak, and Orhan Dogan, Roth said, "I asked to be allowed to see them.
But I was not able to get information on their state of health."

1.5 hours with Yilmaz

German deputy Claudia Roth also had a meeting that lasted about one and a half hours with
Mesut Yilmaz, who is both Deputy Prime Minister and the State Minister with primary
responsibility for Turkey's relations with the European Union.

In a statement she made following that meeting, Roth said that Turkey was passing through
a period of hot debates concerning the EU. She said that Yilmaz had expressed positive
views concerning the Accession Partnership Document and the Progress Report and had
noted that Turkey's National Program must be completed within a short period of time. Roth
said that they had discussed the subjects of torture and the prevention of torture in the
meeting. She said that the subject of an amnesty had also come onto the agenda and said that
Yilmaz had spoken exactly the following sentence to her: "An amnesty is extraordinarily
important for societal peace." Roth said that they had also discuss the subject of freedom of
the press and expression and agreed that EU norms on these subjects must be accepted.

Capital punishment and Kurdish

Touching on the subject of capital punishment, Roth said that Yilmaz was aware that it was
not possible for Turkey to become a member of the EU before Turkish political authorities
banned the death penalty. Roth continued to say the following: "We also discussed OHAL
[Emergency Rule] and the extremely sensitive subject of minorities. A sentence that Mr.
Yilmaz had previously spoken - 'The road to the EU passes through Diyarbakir.' - also came
up. In connection with this, the rights of the Kurds and cultural rights were discussed. Mr.
Yilmaz said that Kurdish television and radio broadcasting would not be a problem, in his
opinion. The international agreements which Turkey will sign in the coming period were
also discussed. We got an answer from him on every subject we touched on. I get even more
excited thinking about the time when I will sit down at the table in the EU with my Turkish
counterpart, with the Turkish government, and we work together for more human rights, a
greater state of law, and democratization."
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com

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