A European Parliament (EP) delegation, on a visit to Turkey to lobby against the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP) closure case, has caused serious frustration in Ankara. 

The delegation raised eye brows with the statements they made at every stop on their tour, which included Diyarbakir, Bingol and Ankara. 

Finally, their previously-planned appointments with government officials did not take place, and the delegation left Ankara with strict "warnings" for the Turkish political and judiciary system. 

The first step 
The Justice and Foreign ministries cancelled their appointments with the delegation. 

According to Turkish officials, the 16-member delegation had requested a visit with Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk, who reacted against meeting with such a large group. 

The group was also denied a meeting with the Foreign Ministry's Daryal Batibay. 

"In foreign capitals, there are standards for official meetings, and the EP's delegation acted in an unacceptable way," diplomats said. 

The second step 
A press conference organized by the delegation also caused an uproar in Ankara, as the head of the delegation, Joost Lagendijk, also co-chairman of the Turkish-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC), stated that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) should not have been placed on the EU's terrorists list. 

"By looking into the past, problems cannot be solved," said Lagendijk, "It is important that Kurdish interests be represented in the Turkish political system." 

The European Parliamentarians visited Bingol and Diyarbakir and were expected to meet with senior officials from the Foreign and Justice ministries. The meetings, however, did not take place. 

Several statements made by delegation during the visit were also noteworthy: 

-"There is no link between the PKK and HADEP. We have not been provided with evidence that proves the connection between the two. There might be individual links between PKK supporters and HADEP members." 

- "The case against HADEP should be dropped. The banning of HADEP would be a serious setback to democracy and Turkish-EU relations." 

- The parliamentarians underlined their support for HADEP as an autonomous, nonviolent, political party that did not promote separation, but stood for equal rights for Kurds. 

- The parliamentarians also urged the Turkish authorities not to crack down on legitimate political parties and NGOs following the EU's May 2 decision to place the PKK on its list of terrorist organizations. 

-"The Human Rights Association (IHD) and Egitim-Sen told us in Diyarbakir that there are signs that the government will misuse the inclusion of the PKK onto the terrorist list." 

The delegation also visited HADEP's headquarters in Ankara and met with party chairman, Murat Bozlak. 

Feleknaz Uca, 25, of Kurdish-origin from Batman, who has been a European parliamentarian for 3 years, was also among the ad hoc delegation. 

Asked whether steps would be taken to interfere in Turkey's judicial process, Lagendijk said that Turkey itself had demanded the screening of its legislation. 

The delegation left Ankara following the press conference.