POLITICS-TURKEY: Military justifies Hizbollah crack down

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Nadire Mater

ISTANBUL, Feb 1 2000 (IPS) - The Turkish military on Monday went before the country’s National Security Council (MGK) to justify the recent crack-down on the fundamentalist Hizbollah group.

The meeting, which lasted 6,5 hours, was convened to deal with charges made by opposition Islamist Virtue Party (FP) chairperson, Recai Kutan, that “the crack-down on Hizbollah” was aimed at “diverting the country’s agenda out of its normal course”.

Addressing a public parliamentary group meeting Kutan reportedly implied that the army had deliberately used the Hizbollah in order to discredit islamists.

The National Security Council (MGK), made up of top military chiefs and major government ministers, is a highly regarded constitutional advisory body that has been in existence for 40 years.

Recently, however, the MGK has come under attack from Turkey’s liberal politicians who describe it as the embodiment of the military’s intervention in politics in contradiction of West European norms.

In its final communique, issued at the end of the meeting, the MGK supported the government’s “determination to continue with the crack-down on fundamentalism” and defended the military action against the Hizbollah.

The MGK also warned people against relying on “unconfirmed assertions” which were aimed at giving rise to speculation to a link between the state and the fundamentalist and separatist Hizbollah group.

Following the communique by the MGK Kutan reportedly backed down saying; “I was misunderstood, I had simply quoted the words of a columnist”.

Kutan was also reportedly sharply criticised by his deputies who found their leader’s statements to be untimely and irrelevant. “You drove our party into a difficult position. You should resign,” deputy Cemil Cicek is reported to have said during a party meeting.

The country has been gripped with shock and horror since the crackdown on Hizbollah began two weeks ago. Video tapes have been shown of at least 49 “Hizbollah victims” reportedly exhumed from “gardens” of the organisation’s hide-outs across Turkey. During the operation, which covered 44 provinces, 938 people have reportedly been detained while 22 of the victims have been identified.

Police report that 44 assault rifles, 298 pistols, 72 grenades two mortars and an abundant supply of explosives were seized from the Hizbollah hide-outs.

In his address to the parliamentary group, Kutan, recalled the Feb 28, 1997 army intervention to force the FP’s forerunner Islamist Welfare Party (RP) to step down from government.”Why were tanks not sent on Hizbollah then? Was Hizbollah ever mentioned during army briefings prior to Feb, 28?” he asked.

Under pressure by the army the Islamist Welfare Party (RP) led coalition had to adopt a set of 18-point measures against fundamentalism in a MGK (National Security Council) meeting on Feb 28, 1997.

The then RP leader, Necmettin Erbakan’s, perceived reluctance to implement the measures finally led to the coalition’s collapse and closure of the RP by a Constitutional Court decision. The leader Erbakan was further banned from politics for five successive years.

The fate of party run by Erbakan’s successor Kutan, also hangs in the balance as it awaits a pending decision by the Constitutional Court under similar charges.

However Western diplomats are reported to have expressed concern at the continued army intervention in Turkish politics.

“This is something that has to be redressed if Turkey is going to fulfill the criteria for European Union membership,” a European diplomat was quoted as saying in the English language Turkish Daily News.

The diplomat further warned that it would cause a setback for Turkish-EU relations, if the Constitutional Court banned the Virtue Party, like its predecessor Welfare Party (RP).

Addressing a press conference Turkish president Suleyman Demirel said the military was obliged to defend itself. “I will not allow charges against the army that it has ignored its duty and has set-up a militia,” said Demirel.

Ironically, the military-dominated MGK, in its Monday comminique also emphasized “acceleration in the efforts for adjustment with the EU criteria.”

The FP’s woman deputy Nazli Ilicak, a former journalist says; “All should be aware of their particular positions. Polticians make politics, and army makes defense. Army does not make politics.”.

“In a country planning to proceed along the EU path the army’s targeting a political party is wrong. This is a traffic accident on the EU path,” she says.