November 21, 2005 - 15:52 AMT
Olli Rehn: Erdogan's Refusal from Conference with Danish Prime Minister Mistake
Turkish Prime Minister's refusal to hold a joint briefing with Danish Government head Anders Rasmussen was a mistake. This is the opinion of EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, who voiced his support to the Danish Prime Minister. According to Erdogan he left the conference hall over the presence of pro-Kurdish TV company. As reported by New Anatolien Turkish news agency, Mr. Rehn said journalists should not be removed from conference halls.

To remind, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to hold a news conference with Danish Government head Anders Rasmussen in Copenhagen, which resulted in a diplomatic scandal. This way Erdogan made a protest against Danish position over RojTV, which protects interests of Kurds. Knowing that RojTV journalists are present at the news conference, the Turkish PM demanded that they be removed from the hall. When his Danish counterpart objected, saying the Danish Government does not interfere with the work of private media, Erdogan refused to hold a joint news conference and set off for the airport. It should be noted that Turkish authorities have repeatedly demanded that Denmark ban RojTV company broadcasting.