It seems European Union officials have finally accepted this reality. While the previous progress report only briefly touched upon this topic, this year's report mentions it with striking wording. This is what it stated in brief:
"Serious claims about offenses committed by several people, including military officials, have been made. This trial is a great opportunity for democratization and upholding the rule of law. For the first time, this trial gives Turkey a chance to face its recent past. For the first time, illegal networks nested within democratic institutions are being investigated."
This approach, adopted by the EU toward the Ergenekon trial, is a turning point. I also attach special importance to the positions adopted by Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ. Mr. Baykal is the leader of the main opposition party and is the most confused person about the trial. Mr. Başbuğ's stance, too, is important. As a matter of fact, many retired generals and military officers, including those who are still on active duty, are being tried in this trial.
Mr. Başbuğ is trying to make sure the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) adopt a balanced position with regard to the Ergenekon trial. Or at least this is the impression given. He frequently underlines the need to show respect to the trial process, but still makes some statements or moves that may potentially overshadow the significance of the trial. For instance, in a press conference he held on April 29, he showed an unloaded Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW) to journalists and explained that this weapon could penetrate 30-centimeter-thick armor from a distance of 200 meters. "In excavations conducted in Poyrazköy, five emptied LAWs were found, wrapped in packages. These emptied LAWs cannot be reused. Why were they buried, then? This is what I cannot understand. And I ask this out of sheer curiosity. Why were emptied LAWs buried? Why?" he asked. Many wondered why he made this statement.
This was because 22 LAWs, 15 of which were loaded, were unearthed during the Poyrazköy excavations. What the general public expected was for a competent military official to make a statement clarifying the extent of the threat these loaded LAWs may pose to public security and what sorts of assassinations or attacks could be perpetrated using them. Why was Mr. Başbuğ holding an emptied LAW while completely ignoring the loaded ones? This approach was meant to undermine the trial. Indeed, this is noted in the progress report. According to this report, Mr. Başbuğ exerted pressure on the judiciary by holding that press conference on April 29.
If you remember, around that same time, Mr. Baykal, who has since the beginning volunteered to act as the lawyer of Ergenekon, got the signal from this move by Mr. Başbuğ and, during a meeting of his party's parliamentary group held on May 5, said: "They talk about something like LAWs and portray them as if they pose a great military threat. It has become clear that these were pipes without bullets." Two days later, I wrote an article on this topic in which I noted that there were 17,564 unsolved, inexplicable murders committed in Turkey, asking Mr. Baykal, "Are these killings true or are they just pipes, as well?"
The latest progress report shows to all Ergenekon lovers, and particularly to the CHP leader, that they are not pipes.
This is what these pro-Ergenekon circles fail to understand: Global conditions have changed. I have noted this before. With its secular, democratic and Muslim identity, Turkey is a new element of balance in international politics. It is a strategic energy corridor. Everyone, the US, Europe and Russia, wants Turkey to become a stable and reliable country. They know that illegal networks nested within the state pose a threat to democracy and stability. The progress report is giving a clear message to those who do not understand this. They say Turkey cannot go on its way with its military guardianship. Please do not be offended but, Mr. Baykal, they are specifically talking to you.
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