http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/11952607.asp?gid=244
'Keep your hands off the military'
ANKARA - The political skirmish continues as Chief of General Staff Gen.
Basbug returns fire for previous combative comments by Prime Minister Erdogan
that supposedly second-guessed the sincerity of the military's internal
investigation into the source of alleged plans to dismantle the ruling party.
Basbug says anti-AKP plan is just 'a piece of paper'
The disagreement between the military and the government over an alleged
plan that outlines ways to overthrow the ruling party is deepening as both
sides issue contradictory statements.
While Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug described the plan "as a
piece of paper" that has no legality and is part of another psychological smear
campaign against the military, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated his
dissatisfaction with the military's findings, saying "the civilian court will
continue to handle the case."
"Keep your hands off the military. Give up trying to politically identify
yourselves through the Turkish Armed Forces [or TSK]," Basbug said at a press
conference held at military headquarters with the participation of all force
commanders and top military personnel. "Put an end to running such asymmetric
psychological operations against the TSK through the media."
Basbug's press conference came two days after the military prosecutor
ruled that there was no cause for the prosecution of Navy Col. Dursun Çiçek, as
there was no evidence proving that he had prepared the plan at headquarters. It
also came a day after Erdogan showed his dissatisfaction over the ruling.
The plan, which was first published two weeks ago by daily Taraf, details
ways to break popular support for the ruling Justice and Development Party, or
AKP, and its influential supporter, the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, the
leader of the religious Gülen movement.
"As a result of the investigation, it has been revealed that there is no
document, but just a piece of paper," Basbug said. "Discussing such a paper for
two weeks at a moment when there are so many regional global developments that
concern us is really odd."
Responding to Basbug's remarks during a meeting in Brussels on Friday,
Erdogan said the military prosecutor might have approached the document issue
differently. "The process from now on belongs to the civilian prosecutor. The
military judiciary decided that the document is not related to the military.
The civilian judiciary will continue to investigate the matter," the prime
minister said. "We cannot permit the fraying of the rule of law, which is based
on democratic, secular and social structure."
Basbug's words made it clear, however, that the military is not
requesting a civilian prosecution that would determine whether the plan is real
or fake. "Crimes allegedly conducted by military personnel in a military zone
can only be prosecuted by the military prosecutor," he said. "Therefore, what
we ask from the civilian prosecutor is not to investigate whether the plan is
real or fake, but [who are] its perpetrators. You may like or dislike the
ruling of the military judiciary. But you cannot disrespect and underestimate
it."
Çiçek invited for testimony
Though the military judiciary ruled Col. Çiçek had nothing to do with the
document, civilian Istanbul prosecutor Zekeriya Öz reportedly invited him to
give testimony on Tuesday under the Ergenekon case, an alleged organization set
to dismantle the government. It was not sure whether Col. Çiçek will accept the
invitation or not when the Daily News went to print late Friday. The move of
the Ergenekon prosecutors is seen as that the civilian judiciary does not share
the same view of their colleagues at the military headquarters.
Emphasizing that the decision of the military prosecutor was not a final
one and that the investigation could be re-opened if new evidence is found,
Basbug said that the investigation would stay in the hands of the military
prosecutor unless a civilian dimension of the plan was found.
Repeating several times that there was a constant, organized attempt to
tarnish the military through the media and that "the army will no longer
tolerate such campaigns," Basbug called on the intelligence institutions and
the civilian justice system to uncover the perpetrators and said he would bring
the issue to the agenda of the bimonthly meeting of the national Security
Council, or MGK, the state's top security board, on Tuesday. "We believe these
sort of acts will not harm the integrity of the Armed Forces, but also the
existence of the country," Basbug said. "It is very important for all of us."
Repeating his April statement that "the TSK will not harbor any of its
personnel who have been engaged in anti-democratic movements," Basbug ruled out
engaging in a "witch hunt" within the army. "We have no any intention of
sweeping these allegations under the carpet."
Right after the plan was published in the media, the AKP filed a criminal
complaint to the court, criticizing the content of the document as if it was
real. Erdogan spoke harshly last week at a party meeting in the southeastern
Anatolian town of Sanliurfa, indirectly slamming the army for intending to
overthrow his government. When asked whether he felt ashamed when he heard
Erdogan's statement, Basbug said there was no cause for him to feel that way,
but that he had expressed his opinions and thoughts on it to Erdogan. Without a
direct reference to Basbug's comment, Erdogan said Friday that he could not
remain silent about such a plot.
Basbug also criticized the leaks of some documents to the media during
the investigation process. "A criminal report prepared by the Gendarmerie and
sent to the Police Department in Istanbul via a special courier June 17 was
published by the media June 19 and 20. Another report was again leaked to the
media a few days later," he said. "How does it happen? Who leaks them? What is
the purpose? Isn't it our right to ask about it? We have filed complaints about
these leaks." Basbug also said though the alleged plan had no date on it, some
media were reporting that it was prepared in April. "How can we find out the
truth if you dynamite the legal process?" he asked.
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