Commanders’ presence in Parliament has no special meaning, says military

The military said Friday that the public should not draw conclusions about the military based on the presence of commanders in Parliament during the ceremony to begin the new legislative year.

Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ and other top commanders attended the ceremony in Parliament on Thursday, leading to speculation that their presence signaled a change in the military’s position. The commanders had not participated in the opening or April 23 national day ceremonies in Parliament since the July 2007 elections.

That practice began during the tenure of former Chief of Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt to protest statements made by pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, deputies in favor of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

At a weekly press briefing, General Staff Secretary-General Maj. Gen. Ferit Güler told reporters that special meanings should not be attributed and other evaluations should not be made based on the commanders’ attendance. He did not elaborate.

Complaint against Başbuğ

The military answered questions about a complaint filed by independent Istanbul deputy Ufuk Uras against Başbuğ. In the complaint, Uras argued that the commander had exceeded his authority and made political speeches.

“We believe that the public evaluates everything in the best way,” said Güler.

He went on to say that as far as the military learned from the press, those who filed the complaint were threatened to act that way.

"The Turkish Armed Forces’ [TSK] approval of such behaviors can never be considered."

In a visit to a military post in Mardin in southeastern Turkey last month to exchange bayram greetings, Başbuğ said the region had suffered from local ağas in the past and that the region was now suffering from political and terrorist ağas.

‘Sports means friendship, brotherhood’

In comments on the tension that erupted during a football match between Bursaspor and Diyarbakırspor over the weekend, the military said it did not condone what happened.

On Saturday, supporters of Bursaspor, the host team, demonstrated hostility against Diyarbakırspor players and fans, accusing them of being separatists. Several civilians, including children, were injured after the two teams’ fans hurled stones at each other.

“As you all know, sports means friendship and brotherhood,” Güler said. “It is not possible for the Turkish Armed Forces to approve of the incidents during the match between Bursaspor and Diyarbakırspor in Bursa the past week.” 

‘No mortar launched during incident’ 

Regarding press reports about a young girl who was killed in a mortar explosion in the Lice district of Diyarbakır, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Metin Gürak said, “We are upset by the death of a very young civilian.”

He said there was an ongoing investigation launched by the public prosecutor into the incident. “According to initial inspections carried out regarding the incident, it has been found out that no mortar launch was conducted in the region during the incident,” he said. 

Ceylan Önkol, 14, died in a mortar blast while herding sheep in Lice.

On the arrest of Air Force Judicial Undersecretary Col. Ahmet Zeki Üçok on charges of membership in a criminal gang, the military said TSK personnel who commit crimes are punished regardless of their rank.

‘Troops in Afghanistan will not combat terrorism’

Gürak briefed the press about the Turkish military’s mission in Afghanistan. Turkey will take over the Kabul regional command from France in November.

He said the number of Turkish troops to be deployed in Afghanistan would increase to 1,700 but made clear that the troops’ mission would not involve the fight against terrorism, drug-trafficking or mine clearing.

The spokesman said Turkey has had combat troops in Afghanistan since 2002 and highlighted that the mission of the troops was restricted to contributing to the stability and security of the Afghan people and the training of the Afghan national army.