Today’s Zaman, Turkey
June 14 2009

Government should exert its power without further delay

Another alleged plan to finish off the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AK Party) as well as the Gülen movement, revealed by
daily Taraf last Friday, has once again underlined an urgency for the
government to exert its authority and to use its democratic rights to
fully ensure the democratic control of the Turkish Armed Forces
(TSK). This can only be made possible through a fresh start on
democratic reforms.

`I am not surprised by the latest plans allegedly designed by the
Turkish officers. As long as Turkey cannot ensure the democratic
control of the armed forces, it can never, ever solve any of its
problems and in particular the Kurdish question,’ Ã`mit
KardaÅ?, retired military prosecutor, told Sunday’s Zaman.
Remarks made by Gen. Metin Gürak, head of the Turkish General
Staff’s communications department, during a weekly press briefing last
Friday upon a question on the daily’s report, have once again fallen
short of satisfying the public.

The General Staff’s military prosecutor’s office was given orders
immediately to investigate all aspects of the story published in
Taraf, he said. Upon persistent questioning Gen. Gürak,
however, failed to clarify whether the investigation had been launched
against those allegedly leaking the report or against the existence of
such a plan.

The alleged plan to carry out various activities to unseat the
government and to destroy the Gülen movement was prepared for
the General Staff operations department and dated April 2009,
according to an indictment expected to be publicized as part of the
Ergenekon investigation, said Taraf.

This event has once again proven that the government should take more
courageous steps to make sure that the TSK is under civilian control
and that those involved in illegal activities within the TSK should be
sacked by the government, KardaÅ? noted.

The documents concerning the plan were signed by Col. Dursun
�içek and found in the office of retired Capt. Serdar
Ã-ztürk, an Ergenekon suspect, reported the Taraf story.

There are over 200 suspects in the ongoing Ergenekon investigation,
including retired generals as well as active duty officers, accused of
preparing the groundwork for an armed incitement to unseat the AK
Party government.

Among the alleged plans revealed by Taraf, was one to strengthen the
basis for nationalist parties, triggering anti-Armenian and anti-Greek
feelings among the public, putting the AK Party in a difficult
position. This may explain which circles in Turkey sabotaged the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement provoking Azeri public sentiment
against the normalization of ties between Ankara and Yerevan.

Similarly, attempts to revitalize parties such as the Democrat Party
(DP), which has no influence in politics at all, as part of plans to
widen the coalition of opposition, can be seen as psychological
warfare initiated by illegal elements of the deep state to undermine
political authority and create chaos in the country.

If the existence of the plan dated April 2009, only one-and-a-half
months ago and published by Taraf is proven, Chief of General Staff
Gen. Ä°lker BaÅ?buÄ? bears a great responsibility in
explaining to the public whether the TSK as an entity or a group of
individuals composed of officers lies behind it. In either case, the
TSK should look into ways in which it can restore its credibility
while the government should assert its power.

14 June 2009, Sunday
LALE SARIIBRAHIMOÄ?LU SUNDAY’S ZAMAN