Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer signed into law...

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer signed into law a set of constitutional amendments aimed at bringing the country closer to European Union democracy standards, his office said.
One of the key changes in the 10-item package abolished state security courts, which tried people accused of terrorist crimes and had often come under fire from the EU and rights activists.
The reforms also gave precedence to international treaties over Turkish law, scrapped all constitutional references to capital punishment and further limited the army's role in civilian life and politics.
The amendments, passed by parliament earlier in the month, had been welcomed by the European Union, which would assess Turkey's democratization process in December 2004 and decide whether to start accession talks with the nation.