"Report revives old debate in Turkey
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
ANKARA � Turkish Daily News
Turkey's ruling party was in the grip of a debate over the scope of religious freedoms that Turkey should have as a country aspiring to join the European Union after a Council of Europe report called on Turkey to remove a reference to religion on identity cards and to eliminate compulsory religious education in schools.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the issue could be brought to Parliament, while Foreign Minister Abdullah G�l emphasized the government would make a decision on the matter. Government deputies, on the other hand, protested the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance's (ECRI) report, saying �European friends� were �prejudiced� on facts about Turkey."
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