DutchNews.nl - Trip to Turkey cancelled after 'no' to Wilders

A visit to Turkey by an all-party group of MPs has been cancelled because of the reluctance of the Turkish authorities to meet anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.

'The delegation takes the view it is for parliament to decide who should be in the delegation,' the parliamentary European affairs commission said in a statement. 'The heart has been taken out of our working visit,' commission chairman Harm Waalkens said.

The trip, set for January, was to have been a fact-finding mission in connection with Turkey's efforts to join the EU. Last month it emerged there is opposition to Wilder's presence and a spokesman for the foreign affairs ministry said he would not be welcome.

Opposition

Wilders said earlier he planned to use the visit to Turkey to explain why he is totally opposed to Turkish membership of the EU.

In an article in the Volkskrant in October Wilders said no Muslim country should be a member of the EU. Any 'more importation of that backward Islamic culture is undesirable,' he wrote. 'Western civilisation is so much better than a society based on Islamic imperialism and barbarism.'

Wilders said on Thursday it is 'a real shame' he would not be able to debate with the Turkish government. 'It shows they cannot deal wi th criticism and critics. It's a totalitarian, cowardly regime and will not be a member of the EU in a hundred million years,' the Volkskrant quoted him as saying.

Weakness

But Socialist MP Harry Bommel said there are enough other academics and politicans who are willing to speak to the Dutch MPs. 'This is a sign of weakness from parliament,' he was quoted as saying by the Volkskrant.

He pointed out that only a spokesman for the foreign affairs ministry had reacted to Wilders' inclusion and a refusal to meet him was not an official government position.

A spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry told the Volkskrant: 'The most important thing is that we have a good relationship with the Netherlands. We have nothing against Wilders. We are only opposed to his ideas.'

Are you telling me that such a big delegation was canceled just because of Wilders????

If that was correct that means the government is backing him and his extremist ideas. That really p****s me off. Wish that the government did not want to go there in the 1st place and used him as a pathetic excuse

By Al | December 3, 2009 12:08 PM

'This is a sign of weakness from parliament,'

I agree. Wilders is a real thorn in the side of the Netherlands and much of Europe.

By bobsocks | December 3, 2009 2:12 PM

Those that know my postings, I am no fan of that hate-monger Wilders.

Having said that, there is an unwritten policy in most countries and parliaments that banning a member (regardless of his policies or affiliation) by another country is a "no-no" and that they somehow must stand up for that freedom of representation.

Such is life, I would not have expected less. The solution to Wilders is to make sure he is not a member of parliament.

By Solkhar | December 3, 2009 3:23 PM

Wilders is only strong on anti immigration. Like the three piggies, he built his policy with straw, & there's a LOT of wind in NL. Had he been around in the first half of the 40's, he would be sipping tea with Hitler, & comparing hairstyles...

I'm not anti Wilders, just anti STUPID Wilders...

Now what was the 6th verse of that anthem again?

By stevie | December 4, 2009 10:22 PM

I think that is a good idea from the Dutch Government to back up Geert Wilders. I also side with Geert Wilders
what he said about Turkey and the problems which go with them.
Albert Hoogendoorn

By Albert Hoogendoorn | December 7, 2009 12:09 AM