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NICOSIA, Cyprus March 20 -- The Turkish
government has ducked a confrontation with the
military over Kurdish unrest -- at the price of
incurring fresh criticism from the European Union
that it is not making needed reforms.
Signals from Ankara indicate the problem is likely
to surface again as the EU presses Turkey for
changes in the treatment of the Kurdish minority and
the role of the military.
The EU said recently that Turkey "has lost its
appetite for reform."
Tension remained high yesterday in southeastern
Turkey, where security forces were reinforced as
Kurds prepared to celebrate the Newroz spring
holiday tomorrow.
Authorities in Diyarbakir, one of the centers of
Kurdish unrest, banned civil servants from taking
part in the festivities, warning violators of
disciplinary action. Newroz is not an official
holiday in Turkey.
At the same time, the government authorized two
regional radio and television stations to start
limited programs in the Kurdish language, use of
which was until recently banned in public
statements. The EU wants Turkey, a membership
candidate, to eliminate all such restrictions.
Relations between the government of Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the military have been
strained by a report that a leading general had
organized a special autonomous military force to
fight Kurdish nationalist guerrillas.
When a prosecuting judge called for an investigation
of the report, Mr. Erdogan ordered a probe of the
judge instead, saying, "No one will gain anything by
making the country's military appear weak."
"The army is one of our most important
institutions," he added, in what was seen by
diplomats as an effort to placate the military.
The general involved, Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, is head
of Turkey's land forces and is due to take over as
chief of general staff in August. He publicly
supports Turkey's bid to join the EU, but thinks
certain reforms demanded by the union would threaten
Turkish society and traditions.
Since the creation of the republic in the 1920s, the
army has served as the ultimate guardian of the
republican system. In 1997, it forced the
resignation of Necmettin Erbakan, Turkey's first
openly Islamist prime minister.
The relationship of the military and Mr. Erdogan's
ruling Justice and Development Party has undergone
periodic strains, mainly because of the party's
Islamist roots and some government measures seen by
the army as encouraging fundamentalism.
Prodded by the EU, Turkey has limited the army's
role in the National Security Council, accepted the
concept of civilian control over military finances
and reduced the army's judicial autonomy.
But the EU says the reforms fall short of
expectations and has asked for the appointment of an
ombudsman to fight corruption and an easing of
property restrictions for non-Muslim minorities.
washtimes.com
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