Timing of new wave raises a few eyebrows
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Ocak 23, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - The latest wave of the alleged Ergenekon gang operation is not only important for its scope and the variety of persons arrested, but also for its timing. The roundup yesterday came just one day after the Turkish president called for strict observation of procedural rules during the ongoing investigation.
President Abdullah Gül initiated a lunch on Wednesday where he gathered the top representatives of the legislature, executive and judiciary in a move to push for more coordination among the institutions to avoid an erosion of respect for the superiority of law in the country. Right after the meeting, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ decided to hold regular meetings every Thursday, it was learned.
But barely a day after these developments, the country witnessed another campaign of detentions that also included some military officers, which triggered reactions from opposition parties.Â
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, criticized the detention of respected trade unionists and journalists, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
"A meeting happened yesterday (Wednesday) under the leadership of the president. It was a very important decision to let the rule of law dominate the country. If this understanding is embraced by all, then I think Turkey will overcome many difficulties," he said.
CHP’s leader Deniz Baykal went further late Wednesday and said the meeting itself was wrong as the president aimed to bring together the judiciary with the executive, which was in violation of the independence of judiciary. "It is rather a controversial meeting with regard to the separation of powers principle in the Constitution," he said, according to Anatolia.
But Gül responded to criticisms and press coverage of the lunch, speaking to reporters yesterday. He denied that the agenda of the meeting was the ongoing Ergenekon investigation. "I felt astonished when I saw some of your newspapers’ headlines. Would the president, prime minister and parliament speaker violate the law by talking about a case that is being heard in court?" he said.
BaÅŸbuÄŸ-ErdoÄŸan to meet regularly
In the meantime, Başbuğ and Erdoğan yesterday held their first weekly meeting to discuss current security issues and the detention of retired generals and army officers, sources said. "The meetings are aimed to decrease misunderstandings between the two institutions and increase the exchange of views on controversial issues, such as the struggle against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)," sources said. The detention of retired four-star generals caused a deep uneasiness within the military and caused a surprise meeting between Başbuğ and Erdoğan.
But barely a day after these developments, the country witnessed another campaign of detentions that also included some military officers, which triggered reactions from opposition parties.Â
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, criticized the detention of respected trade unionists and journalists, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
"A meeting happened yesterday (Wednesday) under the leadership of the president. It was a very important decision to let the rule of law dominate the country. If this understanding is embraced by all, then I think Turkey will overcome many difficulties," he said.
CHP’s leader Deniz Baykal went further late Wednesday and said the meeting itself was wrong as the president aimed to bring together the judiciary with the executive, which was in violation of the independence of judiciary. "It is rather a controversial meeting with regard to the separation of powers principle in the Constitution," he said, according to Anatolia.
But Gül responded to criticisms and press coverage of the lunch, speaking to reporters yesterday. He denied that the agenda of the meeting was the ongoing Ergenekon investigation. "I felt astonished when I saw some of your newspapers’ headlines. Would the president, prime minister and parliament speaker violate the law by talking about a case that is being heard in court?" he said.
BaÅŸbuÄŸ-ErdoÄŸan to meet regularly
In the meantime, Başbuğ and Erdoğan yesterday held their first weekly meeting to discuss current security issues and the detention of retired generals and army officers, sources said. "The meetings are aimed to decrease misunderstandings between the two institutions and increase the exchange of views on controversial issues, such as the struggle against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)," sources said. The detention of retired four-star generals caused a deep uneasiness within the military and caused a surprise meeting between Başbuğ and Erdoğan.