Coup Plot In Turkey? Dozens Of Military Commanders Held

[Lady Macbeth]

Turkey Coup Plot: 50 Military Commanders Held



Turkey — Once they were untouchable. Some were members of Turkey's elite military class known as "pashas," a title of respect harking back to Ottoman times. For decades, Turkey's senior officers, self-appointed guardians of the country's secular tradition, called the shots.

But Monday, the balance of power in this EU candidate appeared to have undergone a major shift. Turkish police detained 52 military commanders for allegedly planning to blow up mosques in order to trigger a military takeover and overthrow the Islamic-oriented government.

The detentions showed that the elected government is trying to take the upper hand against the military, which has ousted four governments since 1960 and held influence since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk created the secular republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

With strong electoral backing and support from the European Union, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has curtailed military power and signaled further tough steps to rein in the generals. But Monday's detentions, following the gathering of wiretap evidence and the discovery of secret weapons caches, marks the highest-profile crackdown to date.

Police in simultaneous operations in eight cities detained 21 generals and admirals, including ex-deputy chief Gen. Ergin Saygun, former Air Force chief Gen. Ibrahim Firtina and Navy Chief Adm. Ozden Ornek. The rest were mostly colonels.

They are also accused of conspiring to plan shooting down a Turkish warplane to trigger armed conflict with Greece in a bid to destabilize the Turkish government. The military strongly denies the allegations.

Erdogan declined to comment Monday on the raids, saying they had been carried out on prosecutors' orders. However on Sunday, Erdogan said his government had not given "a chance to those who tried to fly a course for Turkey outside the law."

A spokesman for the main opposition Republican People's Party, expressed concern over the detentions.

"These are grave incidents, severe incidents for society, for the Turkish armed forces," Mustafa Ozyurek said. "Legally, and from a human rights perspective, there must be a speedy trial."

Erdogan denies the ongoing crackdown is politically motivated or designed to silence government critics, as is claimed by opposition parties.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Monday denounced the 1961 hanging by coup leaders of a prime minister and two of his ministers. But he said that those days are over and that Turkey now was going through a normalization process.

"Things will get better when those who were never accountable for their deeds begin to account for them," Arinc told CNN-Turk television Monday.

Conflict over Turkey's national identity has simmered since Ataturk, an army officer in World War I, founded the republic and abolished the Caliphate. He gave the vote to women, restricted Islamic dress and replaced the Arabic script with the Roman alphabet, but Islam remains a potent force.

Since taking power in 2002, Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party has repeatedly denied that it is trying to impose religion on politics and society. However, secularists view its attempts to permit Islamic style head scarves at universities and a past push to criminalize adultery as alarming.

The military's self-declared mission to protect the secular regime has pitted it in a bitter fight with Erdogan's government. His July 2007 re-election with 46.6 percent of the votes buoyed the pragmatic leader to investigate people accused of secret military plots, when the first of a series surfaced in 2008.

So far, prosecutors have jailed more than 400 people, including soldiers, academics, journalists and politicians. No one has yet been convicted.

In 2008, Turkey's top court narrowly voted against disbanding Erdogan's ruling party over accusations it is plotting to impose Islamic rule, but in a warning the judges cut off millions of dollars in state aid to the ruling Justice and Development Party.

Nihat Ali Ozcan, an analyst at the Economic Policy Research Institute in Ankara, said that despite the arrests, military influence is not likely to disappear.

"It is not the military that makes itself important, it is the present state of the country," Ozcan told the AP. "As long there is no consolidation of democracy, the military will remain a main power in Turkey."

Turkey Coup Plot: 50 Military Commanders Held

[Neo]

Over 40 commanders held for coup plotting: Turkey

ANKARA (February 23 2010): In a crackdown that would once have been unthinkable, Turkish police detained more than 40 high ranking military commanders Monday for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Islamic rooted government.

The sweep highlighted the ongoing struggle between the secular establishment and the Islamic oriented government and left many wondering if the military no longer called the shots in a nation accustomed to viewing it as the pillar of the secular state.

The jailing of several senior military officers including members of the elite class known as "Pashas," a title of respect harking back to Ottoman times proved, at the very least, that such officials are no longer untouchable. "We could not even dream about things that we see happening now," Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told CNN Turk television on Monday. "Things will get better when those who were never accountable for their deeds begin to account for them."

He said Turkey was going through a normalisation process. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not comment during a visit to Madrid on Monday, saying the crackdown was carried out solely on the orders of prosecutors. "It would not be appropriate for me to talk about an issue that is already handled by the judiciary," Erdogan said.

The military's image had already been tarnished by allegations it was secretly planning to depose Erdogan's elected government for undermining secularism in this predominantly Muslim but officially secular country. The commanders detained on Monday are reportedly accused of seeking to foment chaos by blowing up mosques to trigger a military take-over.

The military denies any such plan. But Erdogan said on Sunday, before the crackdown, that the government was preserving the rule of law. "We did not give a chance to those who tried to fly a course for Turkey outside law," he said before flying to Madrid.

Several high ranking members of Turkey's military including ex deputy chief General Ergin Saygun, former Air Force chief General Ibrahim Firtina and Navy Chief Adm. Ozden Ornek were among those detained. Several other senior admirals and generals were also among the suspects.

So far, prosecutors have charged more than 400 people in the case, including soldiers, academics, journalists and politicians. No one has yet been convicted. The detentions Monday followed the gathering of wiretap evidence and the discovery of secret weapons caches revelations that dealt a blow to the military's credibility. Monday's crackdown showed the level of polarisation in the country, Dogu Ergil, a former political science professor at Ankara University, told private NTV television.

Turkey's secular military has ousted four governments since 1960, proof to many here that it has been the real power since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk created the republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Under European Union pressure, Erdogan has dramatically curtailed the military's power and reinforced civilian rule, while bolstering democratic institutions.

[Lady Macbeth]

Turkish Court Charges Seven Officers In Coup Plot


Retired Admiral Ozer Karabulut arrives at a courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. Prosecutors on Tuesday interrogated 51 Turkish military commanders, including former Air Force and Navy chiefs and Karabulut, all detained Monday, in Istanbul, over alleged plans to destabilize the country by blowing up mosques to trigger a coup and topple the Islamic-rooted government. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)

ANKARA, Turkey — The struggle between the secular Turkish military and the Islamic-oriented government reached new heights Wednesday as a court jailed 12 senior officers – including five admirals, an army general and six other officers.

The officers are charged with plotting several years ago to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, news reports said Wednesday. More officers could be charged later this week.

Former chiefs of Air Force, Navy and Special Forces were also among about 50 officers detained by police in a sweep Monday.

Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country, is witnessing an unprecedented showdown between the country's rising political Islamic movement and its fiercely secular founders, the military officers.

Business groups say the fight is damaging the country's financial prospects and its reputation abroad. It also jolted already jittery markets: the country's benchmark stock market index fell more than 3 percent Wednesday.

Economy Minister Ali Babacan attempted to ease concerns, saying the government was trying to put the military under civilian rule as in the West.

"Transformations may sometimes be painful," Babacan told a conference of foreign investors in Istanbul. "We are trying to make Turkey's democracy first class."

Gen. Ilker Basbug, the military chief, is scheduled to meet Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul at the presidential palace Thursday.

Four times since 1960, the military, which views itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular tradition, has overthrown civilian governments. But observers say this government's success in reining in inflation, coupled with its reformist record as it works to join the European Union, appears to have given it the courage to take the military on.

Many in the military accuse the government of nurturing fundamentalism. Taraf newspaper this week reported that sentries at a military unit were ordered to use the code: "Vile" and password: "Prime Minister" an apparent reflection of the tensions.

Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek visited military headquarters Tuesday night to discuss the report. The military said it had launched an investigation.

The struggle is bitter and the way forward is not clear.

"The way to emerge from this crisis and conflict is to go to the polls," said Devlet Bahceli, head of the opposition Nationalist Action Party. For now, general elections are scheduled for 2011.

The government crackdown has angered opposition parties and could deprive Erdogan of their support in overhauling the Constitution – a legacy of a 1980 military coup – to expand free speech and individual rights in Turkey.

The current tensions have damaged the government's search for a wide consensus on the matter.

"The government has lost the momentum for the Constitution amendment," said Rusen Cakir, a political analyst for the NTV and CNBCE televisions. "I think grounds for an early election have materialized."

An influential pro-European Union business group warned that the tensions were undermining Turkey's prospects for the future.

"We see a problem of discourse in politics here, which resonates in international circles as a struggle between powers, leading to hesitations about Turkey's future," Umit Boyner, head of the Turkish Industrialists and Business Association, said after meeting with the president. "There is urgent need to resume the real agenda by eliminating this tense atmosphere."

Despite criticism, the military is still venerated in Turkey. But members of the ruling party sounded resolute.

"No one will be able to prevent Turkey's development," said Salih Kapusuz, a prominent lawmaker of Erdogan's party on Wednesday. "No one, neither politicians nor soldiers ... are above the law."

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Turkey Coup Plot: Turkish Court Charges Seven Officers

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