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| Europe |
| Turk generals object to military court law |
| 2009-07-06 |
| [Beirut Daily Star: Region] Turkey's armed forces say a law under which army personnel will be tried in civilian courts in peacetime rather than military ones is unconstitutional and they have told the president so, media reported on Sunday. The legislation, aimed at meeting European Union membership criteria, has fuelled tensions between the powerful secularist military and the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in predominantly Muslim Turkey. "Politics will enter the barracks," said a front-page headline in the liberal Milliyet newspaper which detailed the military General Staff's objections to the law, which has still to be approved by President Abdullah Gul. The army, the second biggest in NATO, has ousted four Turkish governments in 50 years and regards itself as guardian of the country's secular system. But its power has been reined in by democratic reforms in recent years. According to the military, the law infringes the inviolability of military areas and will lead to clashes between the military and civilian judiciary. The military also voiced concern at the way the legislation was passed by Parliament in a late-night session at the end of June after Defense Ministry officials had left the assembly. The articles, also published in Radikal newspaper, did not specify a source. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "Politics will enter the barracks," said a front-page headline in the liberal Milliyet newspaper which detailed the military General Staff's objections to the law, which has still to be approved by President Abdullah Gul. With the fate of Zelaya staring him in the face from the T.V, I doubt that Gul would want to tempt fate, even if he thinks Allah is on his side. |
| Posted by: tipper 2009-07-06 15:32 |