Turkey needed to bring its human rights into line with European standards as a prelude to joining the EU, according to the Fine Gael spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Jim O'Keeffe.
He was attending the European Affairs Committee of the Oireachtas where the guest speaker was the Turkish Ambassador, Mr Gunaltay Sibay.
Mr O'Keeffe said there had been persistent reports of gross breaches of human rights in Turkey, including torture and detention without trial. "We could not have any country as an EU member where there was torture or gross breaches of human rights."
Mr O'Keeffe had a "certain amount of sympathy" with the Turkish government in the controversy over prisoners' hunger strikes but felt a "less intransigent" approach would have been appropriate.
The ambassador detailed what he regarded as improvements in human rights in Turkey's constitution.
When Senator Brendan Ryan criticised the Turkish law permitting the dissolution of political parties under certain circumstances, Mr Sibay replied that Turkey was "the only secular democracy" among 57 Islamic states. In the case of a political party that wished to establish an undemocratic Islamic regime the ambassador posed the question: "Should we allow them the democratic process knowing they would deny us that process when they are in power?"
Several committee members raised the issue of Turkey's intention to annexe northern Cyprus if the Greek portion of the island joined the European Union.
Mr Sibay said "vital national security interests" were at stake for Turkey. "If Cyprus becomes a member we will annexe our part and we will suffer the consequences," he said.
On the issue of the prison hunger-strikes, Mr Sibay said that "no government will negotiate with terrorists and murderers". There had been "some valid criticisms" of the prison regime. The events of September 11th showed that "you do not negotiate with such people".