7th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
"EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS"
"The road to peace – facing the challenge"
European Parliament, Brussels
17th & 18th November 2010
Room ASP 3G2
(Interpretation available in English, French, German, Turkish and Dutch)
Patrons
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, South Africa
Shirin Ebadi
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran
Bianca Jagger
Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador & Chair of the World Future Council, UK
Noam Chomsky
Writer, USA
Yasar Kemal
Writer, Turkey
Vedat Turkali
Writer, Turkey
Leyla Zana
EP Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought & the Rafto Prize, Turkey
With the support of
European Parliament – Kurds Friendship Group
Wednesday, 17th November 2010, 15h00-16h00
Room ASP 3G2
Opening Session
Opening Remarks
Ms. Kariane Westrheim, PhD, Chair of the "EU Turkey Civic Commission" (EUTCC), Associate Professor at the University of Bergen, Norway
Opening Speeches
Video message of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Peace Nobel Prize Laureate, South Africa (introduced by Mr Mathew Errol Esau, Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, South Africa)
Video message of Mr. Vedat Turkali, Turkish writer and co-patron of the conference, Turkey
Ms. Leyla Zana, EP Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey
MEP Jürgen Klute, GUE/NGL Group, on behalf of the European Parliament – Kurds Friendship Group, Germany
Wednesday, 17th November 2010, 16h00-18h30
Panel I, Room ASP 3G2
"Turkish-Kurdish dialogue: the only route to peace"
Moderator & Discussant
Mr. Guillaume Perrier
Correspondent from Turkey of the French daily newspaper "Le Monde"
Mr. Selahattin Demirtas, Co-Chair of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Turkey
Mr. Cengiz Candar, Journalist, Turkey
Mr. Rusen Cakir, Journalist, Turkey
Ms. Yuksel Genc, Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Turkey
Questions and discussion followed by closing remarks by moderator & discussant
Thursday, 18th November 2010, 09h30-13h00
Panel II, Room ASP 3G2
"The impact of the present conflict on civil society
and the future politics of solutions"
Moderators:
Mr. Edgar Auth, Journalist, "Frankfurter Rundschau", Germany
Prof. Michael Gunter, EUTCC Board Member, USA
A. Women’s rights & prospects for peace in Turkey
Ms. Sebahat Tuncel, Member of the Turkish Parliament, Turkey
B. Freedom of speech & constitutional reform
MEP Hélène Flautre, Co-Chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, European Parliament, France
C. Anti-terror law and democratic freedoms
Mr. Ömer Günes, Lawyer, Turkey
D. The situation of Internally Displaced Persons
Prof. Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, Chair, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Turkey
Mr. Martin Dolzer, Sociologist, Germany
E. EU-Turkey enlargement & the Kurdish issue
MEP Alexandra Thein, Liberals & Democrats Group, Germany
MEP Bart Staes, Greens-EFA Group, Belgium
Mr. Yonnec Polet, Head of the Party of European Socialists’ International Policy Unit, Brussels
F. EU Member States & the Kurdish Diaspora
MEP Søren Bo Søndergaard, GUE/NGL Group, Denmark
Questions and discussion followed by closing remarks by moderators
Thursday, 18th November 2010, 15h00 – 17h30
Panel III, Room ASP 3G2
"Conflict resolution: engaging in political dialogue
and peace building"
Moderators:
MEP Frieda Brepoels, Greens-EFA Group, Belgium
Dr. Hans Branscheidt, EUTCC Board Member, Germany
A. Lessons from past peace processes & conflict resolutions
Ms. Nomfundo Walaza, CEO Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, South Africa
Raymond McCartney, MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly in the north of Ireland), International Affairs Spokesperson for Sinn Féin, Ireland
B. Prospects for peace in Turkey: political strategies for a solution to the conflict
Ms. Dilek Kurban, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), Turkey
Ms. Songul Karabulut, Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), Belgium
C. Europe and models for devolution
MEP Alyn Smith, Scottish National Party, Greens-EFA Group, Scotland, UK
D. Turkey and the Council of Europe
Mr. John Austin, former Labour MP and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe, UK
Thursday, 18th November 2010, 17h30-18h30
Closing Session, Room ASP 3G2
Discussion and Adoption of Conference Resolution
Final Remarks by the EUTCC Board
