Erdogan needs all the help

We had been commenting last week on the need for the civilian and military leaders of Turkey to get together and iron out their differences and chart a joint course for our country. We had pointed to the image of disarray created in Turkey and had warned that such distortions were being fanned by those who do not want our country to enter the European Union and thus join the family of civilized nations.

Apparently the military is annoyed about reports that it opposes EU membership. It feels that government sources are leaking these reports and it is hurting the image of the Armed Forces.

Reports in the past few weeks indicate that the military has reservations about several articles in the reforms designed to meet the EU’s Copenhagen criteria. Ozkok feels these reports undermine the military and are baseless.

The military officially has declared it supports EU membership. General Ozkok himself has always impressed Western diplomats as a person who cherishes democratic values and ideals. So these are plus marks for the Armed Forces, however, it is also a known fact that there are some hawks in the military who still want to maintain some of the conservative laws in Turkey and thus allow the military to keep a firm grip on the way the country is being run.

The statements of National Security Council (MGK) Secretary General Gen. Tuncer Kilinc has raised many eyebrows in the Western capitals in the past. According to reports General Kilinc has sent a report to the prime minister’s office objecting to some of the democratic reforms claiming they will compromise Turkey’s security. He reportedly objects to Kurdish language broadcasts, to inviting foreign observers to monitor Turkish elections and the lifting of the notorious Article 8 of the anti-terrorism law that is a major obstacle in allowing more freedom of expression in Turkey.

The recent statements and actions by the military leaders that gave the image that the Armed Forces is still involved knee deep in domestic politics has also raised concerns among Western observers.

So while everyone holds General Ozkok in high esteem they also see some strange signals from the military and are confused. So it was important that Erdogan and Ozkok come together and agree on a European vocation for Turkey. Erdogan has signaled he means business and will speed up the EU drive by cutting the summer recess period of Parliament by several months and pushing for the house to legislate more reforms. With Ozkok’s military backing the government will receive a massive booster. Then we will have no excuse in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria.