Politicians, EU condemn Turkish army threat

By Staff
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ANKARA, Apr 28 (Reuters) Politicians, human rights groups and the EU told the Turkish army today to stay out of politics after the military issued a veiled threat to the Islamist-rooted government over its candidate for president.

The army, which has ousted four governments in the past 50 years, expressed concern in a statement late on Friday about the presidential election and said it was ready to act in defence of Turkey's system of government separating religion and politics.

Turkey's secular elite, including the generals and top judges, fear Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party will erode the secular system if it captures the presidency.

Erdogan might now call a snap general election and seek public backing in his increasingly tense standoff with the secularists, analysts said.

Erdogan held emergency talks with his presidential candidate, Abdullah Gul, who is Turkey's foreign minister, and other key officials today. Cabinet spokesman Cemil Cicek was expected to make a statement at 1200 GMT.

Earlier, Erdogan appeared tacitly to criticise the army in a speech to the Red Crescent organisation.

''Whoever tries to damage our spirit of solidarity will not be forgiven by the nation and history,'' he said.

Human rights groups and some opposition politicians condemned Friday's army statement.

''The statement has damaged our country's democracy and our state of law,'' said the Ankara-based Human Rights Association.

Mehmet Agar, leader of the centre-right opposition True Path Party, told reporters: ''Turkey's problems must be solved by civilian politics.'' But about 1,000 protesters staged a rally at Ankara University today against the government. A big secularist rally is also planned in Istanbul on Sunday.

EU MESSAGE In Brussels, European Union enlargement chief Olli Rehn expressed concern. Turkey, under Gul's supervision, began EU membership talks in 2005.

''This is a test case if the Turkish armed forces respect democratic secularism and the democratic arrangement of civil-military relations,'' Rehn told reporters.

However, the EU has lost influence in Turkey, where public opinion has turned eurosceptic amid rows over Cyprus and other issues. Many Turks feel the EU does not want to admit Turkey.

The United States, Ankara's NATO ally, called for Turkey's democratic constitution to be respected.

''We hope and expect the Turks will work out these political issues... in a way consistent with their secular democracy and constitutional provisions,'' U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried told Reuters in Brussels.

Ten years ago, Turkey's army ousted Islamist premier Necmettin Erbakan's government, in which Gul also served, with strong public backing and without tanks on the streets.

Few are predicting a new military coup in Turkey, where economic growth is robust and Erdogan's government popular, but the army statement has raised the stakes in the battle of wills.

''The message from the military is clear. It is saying 'if you elect this guy (Gul) we will intervene','' said Semih Idiz, a columnist for liberal daily Milliyet.

''The government could try to turn the situation to its advantage by calling an early general election,'' he said.

The secularist opposition asked the Constitutional Court yesterday to declare Friday's first round of parliamentary voting for the new president invalid. Opposition parties boycotted the vote, which ended inconclusively.

If the court upholds the opposition appeal next week, Erdogan would have to call a snap election anyway. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a staunch secularist, would stay in office until a new parliament could elect his successor.

Reuters SM GC1844

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