Military Plot Receives Extensive Coverage in Foreign Press
A recently unearthed military plot to discredit the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Gülen movement has found extensive coverage in the foreign press.
The military plot, titled "Action Plan to Fight Reactionaryism," was published by the Taraf daily last week, revealing that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) had a systematic plan to damage the image of the AK Party government and the Gülen movement in the eyes of the public, as well as playing down the Ergenekon investigation and gathering support for members of the military arrested as part of the Ergenekon inquest.
"Whether the document proves to be fake or genuine, the controversy raises the risk of new confrontation between the government and the fiercely secular military, with relations already strained by an investigation into a rightwing network accused of plotting a military coup," the Financial Times said.
The UK-based daily also commented that open hostilities between the AK Party and the General Staff have largely ceased since the less confrontational Gen. İlker Başbuğ took over as chief of general staff last summer.
The military is seen as a bastion of Turkish secularism and there are long-running tensions between officers and members of the ruling AK Party, said the BBC news.
If the latest revelation in Taraf proves to be true, it is likely to have significant repercussions for the current balance of power in Ankara. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Başbuğ apparently reached a common understanding on major political issues, such as the Ergenekon investigation and the management of the Kurdish question, an article posted on the Web site of the Jamestown Foundation said.
The Abu Dhabi-based The National newspaper said Turkey's military regards itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular values and that only two years ago it threatened a coup against the Erdoğan government.
The political role of the army has come under scrutiny in recent years after a series of political reforms in connection with Turkey's bid to become a member of the European Union strengthened free speech and the position of the civilian government, the daily noted.
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