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NICOSIA, Cyprus -- The Turkish military has returned
to the center of the country's political scene after
a period of silence with a strong nationalist
message on key domestic and international issues.
The tone of the message raised diplomatic
speculation about the continuing influence of the
Turkish army in the nation's affairs, a role that is
incompatible with Turkey's aspiration to join the
European Union.
In a speech to a military audience last week, Gen.
Hilmi Ozkok, chief of the general staff, accused the
United States of tolerating Turkish rebels in
northern Iraq, called on Armenia to stop blaming
Turkey for World War I massacres of Armenians and
slammed the door on the possibility of Turkish
military withdrawal from Cyprus.
Some Turkish news media speculated that the tone of
Gen. Ozkok's remarks would damage the atmosphere as
Turkey prepares to start EU membership talks. Others
were simply puzzled by the senior general's blunt
assessments.
"Gen. Ozkok's speech reflected a true picture of
Turkey," said Nuray Basaran, a columnist in
Istanbul's Aksam daily. "Why did we not hear those
opinions from a civilian official?"
The nationally televised speech of 8,000 words was
delivered as an "annual evaluation" to Istanbul's
Military Academy. It was taken extremely seriously
by the diplomatic corps and EU representatives in
Turkey as well as by the Greek and Greek Cypriot
governments.
Turkey's application to join the EU requires it to
limit the political role of the military, the
traditional guardian of the republic created in
1923. Gen. Ozkok's speech suggested the military is
reluctant to take a back seat to politicians whose
excesses and incompetence it has curbed in the past.
According to the mass circulation Istanbul Milliyet
daily, the Ozkok speech revealed developments "which
the government has been trying to conceal." Other
newspapers stressed the general's claim that
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas were
tolerated by the United States in Iraq.
"It is thought provoking that no action has been
taken yet against that organization," Gen. Ozkok
said. "The PKK must be deprived of foreign support
and have its hope of success crushed."
Equally bluntly, he reiterated that the Turkish
military presence of some 30,000 troops in northern
Cyprus was strategically important.
Replying to the EU's suggestion that withdrawing the
troops would facilitate a solution to the partition
of Cyprus, he noted the continued international
ostracism of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus.
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