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In Turkey, tensions rise between government, military After three years, tensions between the military and Islamist government in Turkey are reaching a boiling point. Turkish government sources said 2006 could witness a full-scale confrontation between the two sides. The General Staff has largely gone along with efforts by the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan to lower the profile of the military in public life. After all, this was a major condition for Turkey's accession to the European Union. But Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, or the AKP, has decided to eliminate the military as a factor in domestic security. Parliamentarians have sought to remove the military presence in the government complex in Ankara, change the seal of the military and end the secular tradition in Turkey. The Islamist effort has influenced Chief of Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok. Sources said Ozkok has sought to accommodate Erdogan's opposition to secularism as well as the military's right to purge Islamic fundamentalists from the officer corps. Already, Ozkok has virtually ended the practice of dismissing Islamist officers and soldiers from the military. The chief of staff has also approved changing the seal of the Land Forces Command with one that does not include the founder of modern Turkey, Ataturk. Ataturk's continued prominence in Turkey has drawn criticism from Erdogan supporters as well as from the EU. The sources expect a military confrontation with the government after Ozkok steps down in 2006. Ozkok is expected to be replaced by Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit who has been unhappy over the efforts to introduce Islamic influence in the military and other areas of public life. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> AIDS in India: A "lurking bomb." Click and help stop AIDS now. http://us.click.yahoo.com/X6CDDD/lzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
