TSK visit to Ergenekon suspects raises eyebrows

Zaman's Mümtaz'er Türköne says that although the TSK had stressed in its statement that it has full confidence in the Turkish judiciary in an attempt to avert criticism that the TSK wants to influence the judicial process in the Ergenekon case with this visit, this cannot prevent the interpretation of this visit as an intervention into an ongoing legal case. He contends that public officials who have weapons in their hands have a bigger responsibility vis-à-vis their loyalty to the law than other state officials who do not have weapons. "How can the prestige of a bureaucratic institution be preserved when it uses the power it has to bear arms -- granted to it to protect the country - to bestow privileges on its members in the face of the law?" asks Türköne.

Milliyet's Fikret Bila thinks the visit to the Ergenekon suspects was encouraged by new Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ as an attempt to erase the widespread belief held by the public that the TSK has abandoned the generals [Ergenekon suspects] who had spent years in fighting terrorism. In light of this, he interprets this visit as an indication of professional and institutional solidarity among TSK members.

Radikal's İsmet Berkan casts the visit as a "delayed attempt to intervene in the judiciary." He believes this because this visit was not made on behalf of a person but in the name of the TSK.