TURKEY - Mar 6 - Gul Promises Probe Into Police Break-Up Of Rally.

With a EU delegation watching closely, FM Abdullah Gul, promises a "sensitive" investigation into alleged police brutality against women demonstrators on Mar 6. The violence overshadowed a visit by Olli Rehn, the EU enlargement commissioner who must assess Turkey's preparations for accession talks with the EU scheduled for October. The visiting EU representatives condemned the "disproportionate" police action, and Gul said the Interior Ministry would undertake the probe into the violent break-up of a demonstration by women in Istanbul. "The Interior Ministry has begun the necessary [investigation] procedures and I am sure they will be sensitive about this", Gul said after meeting Rehn. Gul condemned the police action, but he was contradicted by Cemil Cicek, justice minister, who said demonstrators could go too far and that "we need to show understanding to the police". The timing of the incident could not be worse for Turkey. Rehn is on a two-day visit to assess preparations for the accession talks. He is being accompanied by FM of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn, which holds the rotating EU presidency, and minister for Europe in the UK Denis MacShane, which takes over the presidency in July. Concern is growing in Brussels and among diplomats in Ankara that the government has slowed the pace of reform proposals and of the implementation of recent legislation meant to assuage the EU, including an extensive overhaul of the criminal justice system. But the visit has been dominated by reaction to the sight of police officers using truncheons and tear gas to break up the demonstration, which was being held to mark International Women's Day. The rally was unauthorised; an authorised protest had taken place peacefully in the city on Saturday. The visiting EU representatives said: We were shocked by images of the police beating women and young people...Weare concerned to see such disproportionate force used against demonstrators. We ask the Turkish authorities to carry out an investigation into this event to prevent similar incidents in the future". The incident has embarrassed the government, which has passed a modernised penal code under which heavy-handed police tactics are supposed to be outlawed. It coincided with the release of a report by Human Rights Watch attacking the government's record in resettling Kurdish refugees and alleging that the wider reform drive had slowed down. "Turkey still has much to do on the protection of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, language rights and protection against torture", Human Rights Watch said.