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Turkish General Tried to Thwart Nation’s EU Bid, Prosecutor Asserts

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Special to The Times

A prosecutor has called on the Turkish military to investigate a top general over allegations that the officer tried to set up a rogue force that would undermine the country’s bid to join the European Union, Turkish media reported Monday.

The move sparked fresh tensions between Turkey’s fiercely pro-secular army and its Islam-rooted government.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Monday with the chief of the military’s general staff to discuss the accusations leveled by the chief prosecutor of the southeastern city of Van against Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, commander of Turkey’s land forces, and two other senior officers.

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Erdogan and the military chief of staff, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, declined to comment on their talks.

Buyukanit, who is scheduled to succeed Ozkok in August, was quoted by the Turkish media as saying he was prepared to defend himself in court.

“If I am put on trial for such a reason, I will appear and defend myself,” Buyukanit told the secular newspaper Cumhuriyet.

Although the military says it backs Turkey’s request for EU membership, some officers oppose the move. They fear that reforms needed to gain the alliance’s approval could reduce the influence of the armed forces and encourage separatist feelings among the country’s restive Kurdish minority.

In a 100-page indictment of three men charged in a bombing last year, prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya reportedly accused Buyukanit and two comrades of setting up a force to stoke unrest among the Kurds in hopes of undermining the EU bid.

The indictment, which was leaked to Turkish media, also reportedly referred to claims by a prominent Kurdish industrialist that some members of the force were involved in extortion, racketeering and the killing of Kurdish activists and businesspeople. The prosecutor’s office declined to comment.

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The accusations follow the November bombing of a bookshop run by a Kurdish man in the town of Semdinli on the Iraqi border. Suspicions that rogue elements in the security forces were linked to the attack surfaced when locals pursued and apprehended three men suspected of planting the bomb.

The men were identified by authorities as two noncommissioned officers and a Kurdish rebel turned informer who were engaged in intelligence activities. Their car, parked near the scene of the attack, was registered to the local gendarmerie and contained weapons, as well as a list of 105 potential targets, including the bookshop owner and Kurdish tribal chiefs.

When the indictment was drawn up against the suspected bombers, Buyukanit was named as a possible accomplice, the daily Sabah reported.

Buyukanit provoked harsh criticism last year when he acknowledged that one of the three bombing suspects had served under him and called him “a good fellow.” In the indictment, Buyukanit also reportedly was accused of seeking to influence the judiciary by showing his support for the suspect.

The three suspects could face life sentences if convicted of the charges, which include attempted murder and seeking to sabotage the unity of the state.

The military consistently tops opinion polls as the most respected institution in the country and is regarded as the custodian of the pro-Western and secular system introduced by the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk. Although some of its powers have been trimmed in keeping with EU-inspired reforms, the military continues to have a major say over domestic and foreign policy issues.

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Criticism of the military is a punishable offense, and the indictment marks the first time a top military official has been named by a civilian prosecutor in connection with criminal activities. The general staff is expected to file a complaint accusing the Van prosecutor of overstepping the boundaries of his authority.

Under Turkish law, members of the armed forces cannot be tried in civilian courts. Buyukanit and his comrades could face charges only if a military prosecutor decides to act on Sarikaya’s request.

Kurdish political leaders, nonetheless, hailed the prosecutor’s actions as a major step toward asserting civilian control over the military.

“A taboo has been broken, the military is no longer untouchable,” said Serafettin Elci, a Kurdish politician. “Whether [the officers] are guilty or not is a separate matter.”

But some members of the pro-secular establishment charged that the accusations against Buyukanit were part of a government-orchestrated campaign aimed at preventing him from taking over as army chief. He was expected to be more assertive in the post than Ozkok has been.

“They are slinging mud at [Buyukanit] in order to stop him from becoming chief of general staff,” said Nejati Ozgen, a retired general.

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Cemil Cicek, the government spokesman and justice minister, called the claims baseless.

“The army’s own rules determine promotions, not outside forces,” he said.

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