Gov't to settle accounts with plotters at civilian tribunal

According to some government officials who wanted to remain anonymous, Erdoğan held a meeting behind closed doors over the plot controversy and concluded that the resignation of Gen. Başbuğ would not resolve the problems. The prime minister will, instead, ask that the members of the military who are accused of having contributed to the preparation of the plot be tried in a civilian court.

Earlier this week Erdoğan said he would hold a meeting with the military chief over the plot. “I do not want to talk to Gen. Başbuğ through the media. I have weekly meetings [with the military chief]. When I return to Turkey, we will definitely meet. This is an important issue. We will evaluate the process,” Erdoğan noted. His remarks came during a flight from Islamabad to Tehran. The prime minister returned to Turkey late on Wednesday and held a meeting with his deputy prime ministers and AK Party deputy chairmen. A weekly meeting is held between Erdoğan and Başbuğ every Thursday, but yesterday's meeting was postponed due to the celebrations for the 86th anniversary of Turkish Republic. The two are expected to meet at a later date to discuss the military plot.

According to the plot, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) had a systematic plan to destroy the image of the AK Party government and the faith-based Gülen movement in the eyes of the public, to play down the Ergenekon investigation and to gather support for members of the military arrested as part of the investigation into Ergenekon, a criminal organization accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

A photocopied version of the plot was first published by a Turkish daily in June, but the General Staff denied responsibility for it, saying it was just a “piece of paper.” An unnamed military officer, however, recently sent the original copy of the document to a civilian prosecutor, which put an end to all debates over the plot's authenticity. According to a high-level government official, the prime minister decided that it would not be right at the moment to call on Gen. Başbuğ to resign.

The official said the plot not only targeted the governing AK Party but was also aimed at wearing down the military chief.

“It has been discovered that the plot started to be planned when former Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt was in office. Başbuğ may have been informed about the plot but may also have been deceived about it. Therefore, the issue will become clear after a meeting between the prime minister and Gen. Başbuğ. It would not be proper to expect the general’s resignation at the moment,” remarked the government official.

Egemen Bağış, state minister and chief negotiator for European Union accession talks, said earlier this week that it would be an injustice to ask the military chief to resign from his position. “I do not think it would be fair to ask such an experienced and knowledgeable person to resign over the smallest incident,” he said.

Expectation high for suspension of Gen. Hasan Iğsız

However, there is a high expectation within the government for Gen. Hasan Iğsız, the 1st Army Corps commander, to be suspended from office until an ongoing investigation into the plot controversy is concluded. The government also expects that five other members of the military who are accused of having contributed to the preparation of the plot will be removed from their positions.

Last week civilian prosecutors conducting a probe into a clandestine group known as Ergenekon summoned five members of the military to testify about the plot, but none have done so thus far. Prosecutors also warned that police would use force to bring these members of the military to testify if they do not come voluntarily.

The military officer who mailed the plot to İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin stated in a letter he attached to the plot that the order for the preparation of such an action plan came from Gen. Iğsız.

Iğsız was serving as the deputy chief of general staff at the time. “In accordance with a directive by [then-Deputy Chief of General Staff] Gen. Hasan Iğsız, the necessary work was initiated by Lt. Gen. Mehmet Eröz and Maj. Gen. Mustafa Bakıcı, and the action plan was prepared by Col. Dursun Çiçek,” the letter reads. Gen. Iğsız is known to have a close links to Gen. Başbuğ.

The government also expects that military members who are suspected of being involved in the plot will be tried at a civilian tribunal.

A military investigation was launched into the incident on Monday, but the government does not believe that it will produce reliable results. A previous military investigation into the plot concluded that the document was not prepared at the General Staff headquarters.

The government points to a law passed in early July that included a change to Article 5918 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) as a legal basis to enable a civilian trial of those involved in the plot. The law allows civilian courts to try members of the armed forces who are accused of crimes, including threats to national security, constitutional violations, organizing armed groups and attempts to topple the government. Military courts are authorized to try members of the armed forces during wartime and periods of martial law. The law came as a revolution in civilian-military relations, analysts argued, as such a move limits the power of the military over civilians.

Gov’t determined to follow up the plot issue

Bekir Bozdağ, an AK Party parliamentary group deputy chairman, told Today’s Zaman that his party expects all those who committed a constitutional crime to be called to account.

“We filed a criminal complaint against the plot in the past. The General Staff announced that a new investigation would be launched if new evidence emerged pointing to the authenticity of the plot. Now we have new evidence at hand. We expect the General Staff to do what is needed to be done. There is a constitutional crime, and it is a must to try those who committed it in a civilian court,” he remarked.

Another AK Party parliamentary group deputy chairman, Suat Kılıç, said anyone who is engaged in an act that could open democracy and the rule of law in Turkey to discussion should be called to account.