Washington Times, DC
April 25 2005
Turkish military forays into politics
By Andrew Borowiec
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
NICOSIA, Cyprus — The Turkish military has returned to the center of
the country’s political scene after a period of silence with a strong
nationalist message on key domestic and international issues.
The tone of the message raised diplomatic speculation about the
continuing influence of the Turkish army in the nation’s affairs, a
role that is incompatible with Turkey’s aspiration to join the
European Union.
In a speech to a military audience last week, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok,
chief of the general staff, accused the United States of tolerating
Turkish rebels in northern Iraq, called on Armenia to stop blaming
Turkey for World War I massacres of Armenians and slammed the door on
the possibility of Turkish military withdrawal from Cyprus.
Some Turkish news media speculated that the tone of Gen. Ozkok’s
remarks would damage the atmosphere as Turkey prepares to start EU
membership talks. Others were simply puzzled by the senior general’s
blunt assessments.
“Gen. Ozkok’s speech reflected a true picture of Turkey,” said
Nuray Basaran, a columnist in Istanbul’s Aksam daily. “Why did we not
hear those opinions from a civilian official?”
The nationally televised speech of 8,000 words was delivered as
an “annual evaluation” to Istanbul’s Military Academy. It was taken
extremely seriously by the diplomatic corps and EU representatives in
Turkey as well as by the Greek and Greek Cypriot governments.
Turkey’s application to join the EU requires it to limit the
political role of the military, the traditional guardian of the
republic created in 1923. Gen. Ozkok’s speech suggested the military
is reluctant to take a back seat to politicians whose excesses and
incompetence it has curbed in the past.
According to the mass circulation Istanbul Milliyet daily, the
Ozkok speech revealed developments “which the government has been
trying to conceal.” Other newspapers stressed the general’s claim
that Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas were tolerated by the
United States in Iraq.
“It is thought provoking that no action has been taken yet
against that organization,” Gen. Ozkok said. “The PKK must be
deprived of foreign support and have its hope of success crushed.”
Equally bluntly, he reiterated that the Turkish military presence
of some 30,000 troops in northern Cyprus was strategically important.
Replying to the EU’s suggestion that withdrawing the troops would
facilitate a solution to the partition of Cyprus, he noted the
continued international ostracism of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus.