ANKARA — Tensions have risen between Turkey's military and
Islamist government.
Officials and military sources said the tensions stem from efforts
by the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan to sharply reduce the role
and profile of the military. The effort has been supported by Erdogan's
Justice and Development Party, or AKP, which has a huge majority in
parliament.
The latest tiff was sparked by a parliamentary demand to remove the
military contingent from the government complex in Ankara. Parliamentarians
said the military presence in the complex was not appropriate for a country
that sought to join the European Union, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Ankara, which is the center of national politics, has a military
appearance rather than a political one," parliamentarian Resul Tosun, an AKP
member said.
The campaign by Tosun has been supported by many in the AKP. Turkey's
military maintains the headquarters of the General Staff as well as the
land, naval and air forces commands near parliament. The military academy is
also located nearby.
The General Staff has objected to the parliamentary demand. On Dec.
8, the military high command issued a statement, calling Tosun's campaign an
effort to banish the military.
"Such initiatives are worrying and surprising and must be evaluated as
individual delirium," the Office of the Chief of Staff said. "This is an
attempt to banish the Turkish Armed Forces, first from sight and then from
the heart of the Turkish nation."
The Turkish military statement has rankled parliament Speaker Bulent
Arinc. Arinc said he could not recall such a harsh military statement
against parliament.
"I will interfere if necessary," Arinc said.
Turkish officials said the General Staff has been divided over the
government effort to reduce the military's influence. Chief of Staff Gen.
Hilmi Ozkok was said to have quietly agreed to a more modest role for the
military and its submission to civilian rule.
Some of his generals, however, were said to argue that Erdogan's effort
was meant to impose Islamic rule in Turkey, a leading NATO member. Since
1908, Turkey, under Ataturk, has sought to maintain a secular society.
Ozkok has already approved the replacement of the seal of the Land
Forces Command with one that would not include Ataturk. Ataturk's continued
prominence in Turkey has drawn criticism from Erdogan supporters as well as
from the EU.
"Recently we've seen progress in this area," the European Commission's
representative in Turkey, Hansjoerg Kretschmer, said on Dec. 13. "I'm sure
Turkey will reach EU standards in the coming years."
