Schroeder: Turkey needs to do more on reforms

Speaking on German television station N-TV, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said the Turkish government hadn’t made progress in implementing legislation to strengthen democracy.
The Chancellor’s comments came when he was questioned on whether he thought the use of violence by police to break up a women’s rally in Istanbul earlier this month would harm Ankara’s EU membership prospects.
Media coverage of Istanbul police using batons and tear gas to disperse the March 6 rally drew widespread condemnation, both in Turkey and abroad. The EU issued a strongly worded statement criticising the actions of police.
However, earlier on Monday Schroeder said he thought that accession negotiations with Turkey would start as scheduled on October 3 this year.