US says Turkey’s controversial Ergenekon probe details 'murky'

The controversial Ergenekon case concerns an alleged gang plotting a coup and has seen several former generals, bureaucrats, politicians, journalists and underground figures detained over the past year. �

"Alleged members of Ergenekon were on trial for a number of crimes including terrorism charges; the details of the case were murky, however, and Ergenekon’s status as a terrorist organization remained under debate at year’s end," the State Department said in the Turkey section of the 2008 global terrorism report.

The report recounts the previous year's global developments and trends related to terrorism and contains specific sections for each country.

Turkish prosecutors say what is popularly called the Ergenekon gang is a shadowy group that seeks to overthrow the government by destabilizing the country through inciting chaos.

Critics of the case say that fundamental rights of the accused and the principle of presumption of innocence have been violated in many cases.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said last week that Washington was confident that the legal case would be conducted in line with Turkey's Constitution and laws.

This is the first time Washington has commented, albeit indirectly, on the Ergenekon investigation. �

ANTI-PKK DEMONSTRATION
The State Department recalled that in November 2007 the United States launched an intelligence sharing scheme with Ankara for the Turkish military's operations against positions in neighboring northern Iraq of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which it qualified as the most prominent terrorist group operating in Turkey. The information sharing "helps ensure these Turkish actions hit terrorist rather than civilian targets," the report said.

"Counterterrorism cooperation is a key element of our strategic partnership with Turkey," the State Department report said.

Internationally, Turkey has consistently supported coalition efforts in Afghanistan and provides logistical support to the U.S. forces in Iraq, it said. The Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey is "a cargo hub to transport non-lethal cargo to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq," the report said. "Establishment of this hub allows six C-17 aircrafts to transport the amount of goods it took nine to 10 aircrafts to move from Germany, and saves the United States almost $160 million per year.”