Istanbul Hosts EPA Meeting

Members of AKEL (the Progessive Party of the Working People of Cyrpus), which supports the Cypriot government, and representatives of organizations that carried out the "No to the Constitution" campaign in France will also attend the European Preparatory Assembly (EPA), which will be hosted by the Turkish Social Forum (TSF).

The meeting will prepare for the ESF meeting that will take place from 6-9 April in Athens. Participation in the meeting is open to everyone.

Among the participants are prominent political analysts and activists such as Alex Callinicos from Britain, Boris Kagarlitsky from Russia, Christophe Aguiton from France, and Jonathan Neale from USA, whose books have been published in Turkish.

Mehmet Soğancı, the head of the executive committee of the Turkish Engineers and Architects Chamber Association (TMMOB) and İsmail Hakkı Tombul, general director of the Public Workers Trade Union Conference (KESK), will open the meeting in the name of the Turkey's Social Forum.

Peace from below

"The meeting's convening in Istanbul supports those who believe that the genuine peace between the two countries will be achieved through contacts in the civil society" says Petros Constantinou Greek Social Forum coordination spokesperson.

A crowded delegation from Greece is expected to participate in the meeting. Civil society organizations from both Turkish and Greek parts of the divided Cyprus will also attend.

European integration at the base

One of the TSF spokespeople, TMMOB committee member Hüseyin Yeşil, said "the meeting will be important from the point of view of showing that relations between Turkey and Europe will develop through meetings of civil society at the base level, not through diplomatic bargaining behind closed doors."

According to a statement from the TSF office, close to one thousand people from Turkey are expected to attend the European Social Forum in Athens next April.

The TSF, which was founded with the initiative of 28 associations, including TMMOB, KESK, assorted professional organizations, political parties, and NGOs, has already begun its preparations on this subject. At the meeting in Athens, which 50 thousand people are expected to attend, Turkish civil society organizations will be represented in strong form with lectures, seminars, workshops, and cultural activities.(TK/EA)