In its statement the Military Prosecutor's Office stated that no such documents exist in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) headquarters and ruled out legal proceedings against Col. Dursun Çiçek, who is the alleged owner of the signature on the document. Analysts say that although the military judiciary wanted to put an end this issue with its statement, we should wait for the civilian investigation into the document because nobody is satisfied with the results of the military investigation.Zaman's Mustafa Ünal says the military prosecutor's statement has not been able to end the debates on the scandalous document and that it needs an extensive investigation by civilian prosecutors. “This document should never be covered up. Turkey was previously a haven for the perpetrators of unsolved murders; now, it should not be a country of documents prepared by unknown people. Whether or not the document is authentic, those responsible for preparing it should be found out and brought before the judiciary. In order for this to happen, the relevant institutions should help the judiciary,” Ünal says noting that the stance adopted by the General Staff will be very important in this respect. He says the General Staff should not take a defensive position for the judicial process to run smoothly, stressing that trying to cover up the document will be of no benefit to anyone.
Yeni Şafak's Ali Bayramoğlu says the military prosecutor's statement regarding the document was seen by the public as a move to cover up the issue but that this issue will not be closed. The reason for this, firstly, he says is that there has been a criminal complaint launched by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) into the document, and this legal process is in progress. Secondly, he says the prosecutors carrying out an investigation into Ergenekon, a shadowy crime network which has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the government, will investigate the document because it was found in an Ergenekon suspect's house. In consideration of this, Bayramoğlu expects an extensive investigation into the document, saying that the public should not see the issue as having been closed by the Military Prosecutor's Office.
Sabah's Mahmut Övür says the most suspicious thing about the military prosecutor's investigation is the fact that the military prosecutor did not ask Col. Çiçek, who changed his signature while testifying, why he did this. “Was this not of any importance to the military prosecutors?” asks Övür. He also questions why the General Staff waited for 12 days after the publication of this document by the Taraf daily to announce that it was not prepared in General Staff headquarters. In his view, the Military Prosecutor's Office's statement regarding the document shows its willingness to cover up the issue.
According to Bugün's Gülay Göktürk, what the civilian prosecutors investigating this document will do is the important thing at the moment. She suggests that those who act as if the military prosecutor's statement proved that the document was a fake should not reach such hasty conclusions and should wait for the results of the investigation to be carried out by the civilian prosecutors.
