Debate on meeting absurd: Büyükanıt
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 16, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Former Chief of General Staff Yaşar Büyükanıt says it is unfortunate that his 2007 meeting with the prime minister is being used as political fodder and that he is offended by such moves. The contents of the meeting were never revealed and followed a tense political period
Former Chief of Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt has spoken for the first Ğ and, he says, last Ğ time about his 2007 meeting with the prime minister at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace, saying, "We only discussed state matters."
In an interview with daily Milliyet published Monday, Gen. Büyükanıt warned against attempts to use him as political fodder. "I am speaking for the first and last time," he said, adding that he was "really offended" that his meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had been dragged into the political realm. Erdoğan and Büyükanıt had a secret two-and-a-half-hour meeting on May 4, 2007, in a special office reserved for the prime minister’s use. The meeting came after controversial presidential elections and the military’s interference, through an electronic memorandum, in the government’s appointment of then Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül to the top seat at Çankaya.
Asked about the talks, whose content has thus far been kept secret, Erdoğan recently said: "This is an issue that I will take to my grave. I believe Büyükanıt believes the same thing. Of course, if he chooses to share, then I could also share certain things that we discussed at the meeting." Büyükanıt told daily Milliyet the claims that were floated around following the meeting were unreasonable. "I also held meetings with other prime ministers of the time, like Mr. Ecevit and Mesut Yılmaz. We discussed state matters, just like at the Dolmabahçe meeting," he said. "Naturally, I could be criticized just like everybody else. I don’t expect those who criticize to be reasonable, however I expect them to be merciful. I believe it’s my right to ask them not to offend me."
Claims severe
The former commander said the claims had reached such a degree that he and his wife had to resort to the judiciary for the first time in their lives.
"For half a century, I have served my country and people with honor and respect. Yet I have faced campaigns that attack my honor and dignity," Büyükanıt said. "This incident has a different dimension. It has been dragged into the political realm. I’m really offended by the fact that my name is being used as a political tool."
Saying it was the "first and last statement that I’ll ever make on this issue," Büyükanıt added: "If this campaign continues after this statement, I will have nothing to do but go to the law. I won’t refrain from doing so."
The Dolmabahçe meeting has long occupied the agenda with running speculations that Büyükanıt and Erdoğan made a secret deal. Main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, leader Deniz Baykal said the content of the meeting should be disclosed. "This cannot be kept secret, it has to be brought into the light," said Baykal, who urged Büyükanıt for an explanation.In response to a question, CHP parliamentary group deputy chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said: "A prime minister and the chief of General Staff could discuss state matters, but projections from these meetings are reflected in state archives. There is no such concept at healthily functioning state administrations that [the content of such talks] will not be revealed until death."
In an interview with daily Milliyet published Monday, Gen. Büyükanıt warned against attempts to use him as political fodder. "I am speaking for the first and last time," he said, adding that he was "really offended" that his meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had been dragged into the political realm. Erdoğan and Büyükanıt had a secret two-and-a-half-hour meeting on May 4, 2007, in a special office reserved for the prime minister’s use. The meeting came after controversial presidential elections and the military’s interference, through an electronic memorandum, in the government’s appointment of then Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül to the top seat at Çankaya.
Asked about the talks, whose content has thus far been kept secret, Erdoğan recently said: "This is an issue that I will take to my grave. I believe Büyükanıt believes the same thing. Of course, if he chooses to share, then I could also share certain things that we discussed at the meeting." Büyükanıt told daily Milliyet the claims that were floated around following the meeting were unreasonable. "I also held meetings with other prime ministers of the time, like Mr. Ecevit and Mesut Yılmaz. We discussed state matters, just like at the Dolmabahçe meeting," he said. "Naturally, I could be criticized just like everybody else. I don’t expect those who criticize to be reasonable, however I expect them to be merciful. I believe it’s my right to ask them not to offend me."
Claims severe
The former commander said the claims had reached such a degree that he and his wife had to resort to the judiciary for the first time in their lives.
"For half a century, I have served my country and people with honor and respect. Yet I have faced campaigns that attack my honor and dignity," Büyükanıt said. "This incident has a different dimension. It has been dragged into the political realm. I’m really offended by the fact that my name is being used as a political tool."
Saying it was the "first and last statement that I’ll ever make on this issue," Büyükanıt added: "If this campaign continues after this statement, I will have nothing to do but go to the law. I won’t refrain from doing so."
The Dolmabahçe meeting has long occupied the agenda with running speculations that Büyükanıt and Erdoğan made a secret deal. Main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, leader Deniz Baykal said the content of the meeting should be disclosed. "This cannot be kept secret, it has to be brought into the light," said Baykal, who urged Büyükanıt for an explanation.In response to a question, CHP parliamentary group deputy chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said: "A prime minister and the chief of General Staff could discuss state matters, but projections from these meetings are reflected in state archives. There is no such concept at healthily functioning state administrations that [the content of such talks] will not be revealed until death."