Turkish military command resigns amid controversy
10:47 – 30.07.11
Turkey’s entire top military command resigned Friday in a row with the
government over generals jailed for an alleged coup plot, AFP
reported.
Chief-of-staff General Isik Kosaner stepped down after several
meetings with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent days ahead
of an early August meeting of the army’s high command which decides on
promotions for senior officers.
Media reports blamed tensions between the military and Erdogan over
army demands for the promotion of dozens of officers being held on
suspicion of involvement in an alleged anti-government plot.
As well as Kosaner, the commanders of the army, air force and navy
also quit, NTV and CNN-Turk reported – a first for Turkey.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that the
United States had confidence in Turkey and declined comment on the
military resignations.
“We have confidence in the strength of Turkey’s institutions, both
democratic and military. It’s an internal matter,” Toner told
reporters.
“We view Turkey as a stalwart ally within Nato, and we have a strong
security cooperation with them,” he said.
Kosaner was appointed to his post for a three-year term last year,
while the other three commanders were due to have retired next month.
Forty-two generals and dozens of officers are in jail in a probe of
alleged plots to unseat the government led by the Justice and
Development Party (AKP), the moderate offshoot of a banned Islamist
movement.
Several of those held are retired, but senior officers in the army
have been trying to get some of the serving officers promoted despite
their incarceration.
The government insists the group be forced to retire.
The most senior of the jailed group is four-star General Bilgin
Balanli, head of Turkey’s military academies, who had been in line to
become air force commander this year. He was detained in May.
Tert.am