BELGIUM: Belgium's foreign minister yesterday condemned Turkish plans to outlaw adultery, saying Ankara's proposed law was incompatible with its aspiration to join the European Union.
Adding his voice to a rising tide of criticism over the bill, Mr Karel De Gucht said that while Turkey might well join the bloc at some time in the future, the planned legislation on adultery was out of keeping with European values.
"They want to reintroduce punishment for adultery, prison sentences of up to three years. That goes very strongly in the direction of Islamic legislation. I consider that a serious problem," Mr De Gucht told public television network VRT.
A European Commission progress report on the country's entry bid is due on October 6th. The report is expected to recommend opening talks, although this will be decided by EU leaders in December. Negotiations would be expected to take many years.
Until now, Belgium had been one of the strongest defenders of Turkey's entry bid, saying it wanted negotiations to start as soon as the European Commission gave the green light.
The Turkish government, led by devout Muslims such as Prime Minister Mr Tayyip Erdogan, wants to ban adultery as part of an overhaul of the country's penal code. Ankara says its proposed law would protect the family and strengthen women's rights.
But the proposal has outraged women's groups and raised hackles within the European Commission, particularly among members of the team dealing with EU enlargement.