PROGRAM : 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON “THE EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS”
THE KURDISH QUESTION IN TURKEY – TIME TO RENEW THE DIALOGUE AND RESUME DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS
European Parliament, Brussels 5th & 6th December, 2012 – room ASP 1 G2 / Interpretation available in Turkish, English, French, German, Dutch, Danish
Patrons: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, South Africa – Dr. Shirin Ebadi – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran – Bianca Jagger – Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador – Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, UK – Professor Noam Chomsky Writer, USA – Yasar Kemal Writer, Turkey – Vedat Turkali Writer, Turkey – Leyla Zana – European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey
Wednesday, 5th December 2012, 15.00-16.30 – Opening Session, Room ASP 1 G2 –
Opening Remarks and Greetings
• Ms. Kariane Westrheim, PhD,
Chair of EUTCC, Associate Professor at the UoB, Norway
• Mr. José Manuel Ramos-Horta,
Nobel Peace Prize Lecture, East-Timor
Opening Speech:
• Mr. Bob Filner
Member of the U.S. Congress (TBC)
• Hélène Flautre
Member of the European Parliament, France (TBC)
Video messages of Conference’s Patrons
• Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, South Africa (TBC)
Wednesday, 5th December 2012, 16.30-18.30
Panel I, Room ASP 1 G2
The Turkish-Kurdish Conflict – where is it going?
Moderators:
Mr. Jürgen Klute, Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left, MEP /Ms.
Speakers
The EU and Turkish Accession: The Rule of Law and the Limits of Judicial Reform
• Mr. Walter Schwimmer, Former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Austria
Press Freedom, Media Censorship and the Kurdish question
• Mr. Ahmet Şık, Journalist, Turkey (TBC)
The New Constitution – what Democratic Legitimacy? What’s missing?
• Prof. Sevtap Yokuş, Kocaeli University, Turkey (TBC)
The impact of the Turkish/US/EU legislation on the Kurdish conflict
• Mr. …., Lawyer, Country (TBC)
Democracy Deferred – the Continuing Challenges: Political Trials, Identity and Human Rights
• Mr. Raci Bilici, Chair of the Human Rights Association Diyarbakır Office, Turkey
The Roboski Massacre – Unanswered Questions
• Mr. Ferhat Encü, Victim, Turkey
The Importance of the Women Question in Turkey
• Ms. Fadile Yıldırım, Journalist, Women Rights Activist, France
Questions and discussion with moderators & discussants
Thursday, 6 December 2012, 09.30-13.00
Panel II, Room ASP 1 G2
Middle East at the cross-roads: Whose regional order?
Moderators:
Ms….. MEP /Mr. Hans Branscheidt, EUTCC, Germany
Speakers
Rethinking politics and democracy in the Middle-East
• Joost Jongerden, PhD, Wageningen UR – Netherlands
The achievement of Kurdish autonomy in Syria and its regional ramifications
• Mr. Saleh Muslum, Member of Kurdish high commission and co-chairperson of PYD, Syria
Who will determine what “System” for the Middle East?
• Mr. Serdar Akinan, Journalist, Turkey (TBC)
The Upheavals in the Region and their Impact on the Kurds
• Ms. Ofra Bengio, Senior Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern, Israel
Turkey’s role in the Arab Spring and it regional and international policies: present scenarios
• Mr. Hasan Cemal, Journalist, Turkey (TBC)
What role could The Kurdish “Democratic autonomy” project play?
• Ms. Aysel Tuğluk, Co-Chair of Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Turkey
Questions and discussion with moderators & discussants
Thursday, 6 December 2012 15.00-18.00
Panel III, Room ASP 1G2
Negotiating peace: Requirements for a political resolution and the Road Maps to Peace in Turkey
Moderators:
Ms…….MEP /Mr. Essa Mossa, EUTCC, South-Africa
Speakers:
• Mr./Ms……., KNK-Representative, Country
• Mr. Jonathan Powell, British diplomat; former Downing Street Chief of Staff, United Kingdom
• Representative of German Institution for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Germany (TBC)
• Representative of TÜSİAD, Turkey
• Mr. Hugh Pope, International Crisis Group, Belgium (TBC)
• Mr. Selehattin Demirtas, Co-Chair of BDP, Turkey
• Ms. Ezgi Başaran, Journalist-Turkey
• Mr. Galip Ensarioğlu AKP MP for Diyarbakır, Turkey (TBC)
• Mr. Rıza Türmen CHP MP for İzmir, Turkey (TBC)
• MEP
Questions and discussion with moderators & discussants
Thursday, 6 December 2012, 18.00-18.30
Panel IV, Room ASP 1G2
Conclusions and Recommendations
Moderator : Professor Michael Gunter, EUTCC
Final Remarks by the Board of the EUTCC