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General Staff on the defense in wake of plot criticism
“Protecting the confidentiality of an ongoing judicial process is a principle of law. However, recent incidents have shown that this principle has lost its validity to a considerable extent in our country. Details of this incident concerning two officers started to appear in the media on Dec. 21. There is a difference between reporting the incident and reporting it with details and commentary,” read the statement.
Two military officers, identified as Maj. İbrahim G. and Col. Erkan Yılmaz B, were detained on Saturday night on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Arınç. The two are Special Forces members and are assigned to the General Staff. A piece of paper discovered in the officers’ vehicle contained the home address of the deputy prime minister.
The statement claimed that the two officers had been assigned by the General Staff to gather information about a member of the military who was accused of leaking military information to third parties. The accused officer resides in an area close to Arınç’s house.
The General Staff also added that the reason for the existence of a piece of paper with Arınç’s address and documents seized in a police search at the officers’ houses and offices will emerge after an ongoing investigation is completed.
The statement was termed “self-defense” by many observers. However, what the public was expecting from the General Staff, according to observers, was a satisfactory explanation of the plot controversy. Some urged Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ to hold a press conference to respond to questions about this newest plot.
The expression of the military’s position on ongoing developments in the country, mostly related to politics, is not a rare happening for the General Staff. Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ held a press conference on the frigate TGC Oruç Reis last week. He said there was a psychological war being waged against the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
In the meantime, Sabah columnist Mehmet Barlas criticized the military chief for remaining silent on the assassination plot despite publicly voicing his opinion on many issues last week. “I hope the heavy criticism directed at Gen. Başbuğ due to his statements [aboard the frigate] will not discourage him from briefing the public on the assassination plot against Arınç because the plot has spurred the public to expect a satisfactory statement from the General Staff,” stated Barlas.
The columnist also said a similar statement could also be delivered by Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül.
Hürriyet daily Editor-in-Chief Ertuğrul Özkök wrote in Wednesday’s column that the General Staff has not made a statement on the plot story even though three days had passed since the capture of the would-be assassins. Özkök directed a list of questions to the General Staff about their silence on the issue.
Among the questions are: “For what purpose were the two officers near Arınç’s house? Were they planning such a thing with the knowledge of the General Staff? Could two people who do not have the ability to remember the name of a street serve as intelligence agents? How could they dare to do such a thing after all that happened after the Ergenekon case?”
Özkök urged the General Staff to respond to the questions and dispel the uncertainty in people’s minds.
Milliyet columnist Fikret Bila also said the mystery of two officers who were detained on charges of plotting to assassinate Arınç needs to be addressed by the General Staff. “The judicial process will help remove the shroud of secrecy. But it is almost a necessity to learn whether the General Staff will conduct an investigation into the assassination,” Bila noted.
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