A prosecutor's call to investigate a top Turkish general for allegedly creating a secret force to fight Kurdish rebels -- which could undermine the country's bid to join the EU -- has raised fears of new conflict between the government and the country's powerful military.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sought to calm tensions, telling lawmakers from his party at a weekly meeting on Tuesday that he disapproved of the recent criticisms of the military. The secular military, which has led three coups since 1960 is deeply suspicious of Erdogan's party which has roots in Turkey's Islamic movement and the prime minister has been keen to limit friction with the generals.
"No one will gain anything through efforts to make this country's military appear weak through its esteemed commanders," Erdogan said.
At issue is a prosecutor's demand that a military court investigate whether General Yasar Buyukanit, the head of land forces and the general slated to take over as chief of the military staff in August, set up a secret group to fight autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels.
Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya's call -- which was part of a broader sealed indictment alleging soldiers were behind a November bombing that targeted a rebel supporter -- was leaked to the Turkish media.
Officials at the prosecutors office were not immediately available for comment.
Newspapers reported that the indictment said the bomb attack was part of a plan by security forces to stoke tensions in the overwhelmingly Kurdish southeast and undermine Turkey's bid for EU membership. The EU demands that Turkey grant Kurds greater rights and stabilize the southeast.
Buyukanit denied the allegations and was quoted as telling the Hurriyet newspaper that he is prepared to defend himself in court.
The possibility of a commander of the revered Turkish military having to answer charges in court has raised fears of conflict between the government and the generals.
Buyukanit is considered more of a hardliner than the current chief of staff and some newspapers and politicians have called Sarikaya's indictment an attempt by the government to block Buyukanit from becoming the next chief of staff. Many observers have speculated that Buyukanit would be more likely to clash with the Islamic-rooted governing party.
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