By denigrating an authentically signed document as a mere “piece of paper” or the most destructive weapons as “pipes,” it mistakenly thought it could pull through or that no one would question their nonsensical statements. On the contrary, it lost part of its persuasiveness with the statements that mocked the intelligence of the people in each case. It finally turned out that the General Staff, whose every word would be regarded as true by people in the past, will, I think, find no one to believe it -- except for a handful of embedded journalists or politicians -- even if it tells the plain truth today. This situation which, we may call the “liar shepherd syndrome” or the “Pinocchio attitude,” is most probably the most pathetic situation in which a public organization can find itself -- and particularly so for the armed forces.
For several days, a scandal whose main characters have been members of the army -- as has been the case in many recent scandals -- has been sending shock waves throughout the country. This time, our topic is the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plan that was prepared in 2003 -- immediately after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was elected to office -- and that aimed to create chaos in the country by bombing some major mosques in İstanbul during the most crowded hours of a Friday prayer, provoking conservative people, giving the impression that they are revolting against the state and starting a low-intensity war with Greece, all orchestrated by the 1st Army Command located in İstanbul.
Thanks to the publications made by the Taraf newspaper -- a paper that deserves to be proud of itself in the problematic scene of the Turkish media -- during the last five days, we learned how a military coup would be performed in this chaotic environment and who would be arrested during the coup as well as which bureaucrats and civil servants would be removed from office, what media organizations would be silenced, which banks and companies would be closed down through the confiscation of their property and what Muslim countries would suffer from the loss of diplomatic ties with us and withdrawal of Turkish investments, all in exhaustive lists. We also have a chance to study in detail who would have been appointed to the Cabinet of the junta government, and which nongovernmental organizations and journalists would be chosen as collaborators in this process as well as how the country’s economy, social life and foreign policy would be managed in an ideological framework that we call neonationalistic, pro-Eurasian or pro-third world. It is not an easy task even to read it as there are about 5,000 pages of coup documents, thoroughly thought out, planned and ready for implementation like the military coup of Sept. 12, 1980.
As the details of these documents were published by the Taraf newspaper, the General Staff made a brief statement, denying the allegations in its usual manner. Of course, this denial was found convincing by no one. In another move, the General Staff held a special briefing with Ankara representatives of some papers which we may describe as “friendly newspapers.” According to the news stories of some “friendly” papers, this time, the General Staff cannot speak in an assured manner compared to previous cases, and chooses to use a relatively cautious language. Now, let us read from Fikret Bila, the Ankara representative of the Milliyet daily, about what the General Staff told “friendly” journalists, in summary, of course:
“At the Office of the Chief of General Staff, the 1st Army has a war plan and a ‘behind the front lines’ security plan. But this plan is not as it was published by the Taraf newspaper. … Unlike what was claimed, the General Staff has no so-called Balyoz (Sledgehammer), Sakal (Beard), Çarşaf (Chador) or Oraj (Thunderstorm) plan. The war plans of armies are given names of historical personalities or regions, such as Dumlupınar, Barbaros, Meriç, Fırat, Dicle and Aras. Given the mission area of the 1st Army, it is very likely that its plan is called Meriç (Maritza River).
“Looking at the year to come, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) draws up plans about exercises to be conducted and seminars to be held concerning these plans, and compiles them in a book. The seminar held on March 5-7, 2003 is one such seminar. It is an exercise seminar held to update war plans and identify new needs and tactics. According to military sources, the said seminar should be in compliance with the War Plan of the 1st Army.
“These seminars are held in three stages. The first stage consists of discussions about the war plan. In this stage, possible threats from foreign countries are assessed with an emphasis on the mission area of the 1st Army. During these assessments, the names of these countries are not openly mentioned. Instead, they are given symbols or other designations, such as the country X. How the inner parts of the country will be defended in the event of a war is also assessed. The second stage is about tactical considerations. In the final stage, a final report is drawn. The final reports concerning the said exercise seminar are forwarded to the General Staff at this time. However, these reports are kept for a period of four years before being destroyed. Therefore, the report in question was destroyed. However, it is not likely that these reports contain the claims made by the Taraf newspaper.
“Contrary to what is claimed by the Taraf newspaper, the General Staff does not have a 5,000-page record.
“Can it be that such a document might have been prepared by those who abuse their duties? The response to this question is: “We do not have such a document. Those who claim to have them should send them to us as well.”
“Can it be that this plan might have been prepared by one or more officers outside their duties? The response to this is: ‘If it is found that this is the case, the chief of general staff will immediately remove those officers from office.’ [That’s OK, but will those officers be put on trial or punished? No answer. BK]. The said seminar was attended by 129 generals and military officers and, therefore, it is not likely for such a document or speech to remain secret within the TSK. Still, this still means overstepping one’s duties and is binding upon those who drew that action plan and who spoke in the said manner. In other words, they are personally responsible.
“In this regard, a distinction must be made between what should be and what really is. They say that such things should not happen under normal conditions, but if they really happened, then they were performed beyond official boundaries and are not binding upon the TSK. Emphasis is made on the fact that a thick line should be drawn between the claims and what should happen under normal conditions. It is underlined that if some people had prepared such documents by overstepping their authorities and outside the command of chain, the judicial process will find out what was the case. The General Staff insists that the 1st Army’s war plan and relevant seminars should not have contained such topics, but no one can make assurances about certain military officers concerning the preparation and discussion of a document as published by the Taraf newspaper, and they note that if such a thing had happened, it is illegal and must be dealt with through the judicial process.”
Moreover, what we gather from Bila’s article is that no military investigation was launched into the claims, and retired Gen. Çetin Doğan, who was the commander of the 1st Army at the time, was not consulted either. What I understand from these statements with my most pollyannaish perspective is that a non-routine meeting had been held at the 1st Army Command under the disguise of an official seminar and the General Staff was deceived in this regard. Yes, but isn’t there any penalty for such an action in the traditions of the TSK? Can the General Staff be justified when it says these are related to personal responsibility and do not bind the TSK?
On the contrary, if this scandal is not investigated and if those who are responsible for it are not disclosed and penalized in a way to serve as a deterrent to those aspiring to perform such actions, and if those who are obsessed with coups, interventions into politics, or social engineering are not purged from the army, and if the TSK’s image as the focal point of illegal networks that seek to disrupt democracy and oppress the people is not eliminated, this scandal will bind the TSK.
Thus, the General Staff should immediately lend an ear to the call made by the Taraf newspaper on Sunday and request copies of the 5,000-page plan and take action so as to impose the most severe penalties on the responsible military officers. Believe me, there is no nobler task for a glorious army than this for the time being. So, army, take action!
