Turkish politicians brawl over military operations

Brawls between lawmakers from Turkey’s ruling AK Party and the pro-Kurdish opposition have delayed efforts to pass legislation on a migration deal with the EU, but the country’s EU minister said a deadline next week would still be met.

Deputies threw punches, pushed and tried to restrain each other in the assembly late on Wednesday in a row over military operations targeting Kurdish militants in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast.

The acting speaker announced at the end of Wednesday’s session that, following these scuffles, the parliament would now not meet again in full session until Monday.

Lawmakers had been expected to work on Friday and Saturday on legislation needed for Turks to secure visa-free travel to Europe, a key part of Ankara's deal with the EU on stopping uncontrolled migration to Europe.

Brussels aims to propose waiving visas for Turks on May 4th, but that is strongly opposed by some EU member states.

The EU has said Turkey currently meets fewer than half of its 72 criteria and that its conditions will not be softened.

"If the security surveillance law had been completed last night, as of today Turkey would have done what is required," EU affairs minister Volkan Bozkir told broadcaster NTV.

“The 10 or so remaining articles . . . will God willing be passed on Monday. But we can effectively say it’s done. After that the 72 expectations are met from our perspective.”

Bozkir said he expected the EU Commission to recommend the lifting of visas for Turks in a report next week.

EU deal

Under the deal with the EU, Turkey agreed to take back migrants who cross to Greece illegally in return for financial aid, the prospect of accelerated EU accession talks and visa-free travel to Europe for Turks.

The fierce exchanges erupted in parliament after MP Ferhat Encu from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) referred to the killing of civilians in military operations against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants.

Thousands of militants and hundreds of security force members and civilians have been killed since the PKK resumed its insurgency in the southeast last summer after a 2-and-a-half-year ceasefire, shattering a peace process.

While the general assembly was shut, there were scuffles again on Thursday during a meeting of a constitutional commission, which was discussing legislation on lifting lawmakers’ immunity from prosecution.

President Tayyip Erdogan accuses the HDP of being an extension of the PKK and has said members of parliament with links to militants should be prosecuted.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, launched an insurgency in the southeast in 1984.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the subsequent conflict.

UN alarm

Meanwhile, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that ever tighter restrictions on migrants and refugees in Europe are giving the wrong signal about countries’ obligations under international humanitarian law.

Ban, speakin during a session of the Austrian parliament, expressed his concern a day after Austrian lawmakers passed some of Europe's toughest asylum rules and plans for a fence at Austria's Alpine border with Italy were unveiled.

"I am alarmed about growing xenophobia here and beyond," he said during a visit to Austria, where anti-immigrant far-right candidate Norbert Hofer recently won over one-third of the votes in the first round of a presidential election.

“European countries are now adopting increasingly restrictive immigration and refugee policies,” Ban said.

“Such policies and measures send a very negative message about the obligations of member states under international humanitarian law and European law.”

He said he would welcome open discussions in Europe on integration and called on all EU leaders to live up to the principles that have guided them in the past.

Under the law passed on Wednesday, Austria will be able to turn migrants away at the border within an hour if lawmakers decree public order is threatened.

Austria has mostly served as a conduit into Germany for refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa, but it has also absorbed about 100,000 asylum seekers since last summer.

After initially welcoming refugees, the government capped the number of asylum claims it would accept this year to 37,500.

It has already received more than 16,000 claims since January.

Vienna has also imposed restrictions on movement, including coordinating border closures with nearby Balkan countries over the past months.

It is now preparing stricter border controls at the important Brenner Pass crossing with Italy.

Reuters