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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Turkey's new security unit to coordinate strategy in a seriously-divided government

ANKARA Ñ Turkey plans to establish a counter-insurgency unit to manage tensions between the military and intelligence agencies loyal to the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.   

The Interior Ministry has approved plans to establish a unit that would enhance intelligence and CI operations. Officials said the new Public Order and Security Undersecretariat would reduce friction within Turkey's defense and intelligence community.

They said much of the problem was between Turkey's military and the intelligence community loyal to Erdogan. The biggest obstacle was said to have been the National Intelligence Agency.

"We have completed our preparatory work for establishing the Public Order and Security Undersecretariat," Interior Minister Besir Atalay said.

At a May 11 news conference, Atalay said legislation to establish the undersecretariat was approved by the Cabinet and relayed to parliament. He said the new unit would employ security and intelligence professionals and draft strategy to fight insurgency.

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"There is some jealousy among Turkey's intelligence organizations," Atalay said. "We will bring these units closer together and provide the coordination between them through the new unit."

Officials said Turkey's war against the Kurdish Workers Party and other insurgency groups has been hampered by bureaucratic struggles and inter-agency friction.

"It seems that the human side of the issue lies at the very center of the terror issue," Atalay said. "We have to find new ways to win the hearts of our people. We have to find ways for us to live together. All the initiatives we launched in this respect will be within the frame of laws and freedoms."



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