11 January 2009 / ALİ H. ASLAN, WASHINGTON
The US government has highlighted “constitutional principles” and “the reform process” in response to the developments in the ongoing Ergenekon investigation in Turkey.
In response to a question from Sunday’s Zaman regarding the US government’s position on the issue, Angela Cervetti, a press officer from the Bureau of European Affairs at the State Department, said, “It’s an internal Turkish matter. We hope it will be resolved according to Turkey’s constitutional principles of rule of law, democracy and secularism.” She added that they also “continue to support the reform process in Turkey and closely work with the Turkish government on common interests in the region.” Ergenekon is accused of being a terrorist network aiming to undermine the Turkish government and the Turkish Constitution by inciting ultranationalist hate crimes, plotting political assassinations and paving the way for a military coup d’état. Most of the suspects are known for their anti-American positions as well. The fact that the case also involves some retired and active duty military officers puts the US government in a precarious position when commenting on the internal affairs of its crucial NATO ally.
