OPERATION TAKES ‘DEEP STATE’ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Turkish Daily News
Jan 25 2008
Turkey
As the echoes of Tuesday’s extensive police operation against a
shadowy group, referred to by some as the "deep state" continues,
Turkey is once again haunted with memories of assassinations, bombings
and mass provocations of the distant and not-so-distant past.
Some 33 people, among them former generals, lawyers, two "mafia"
leaders, rank-and-file soldiers and even a journalist have been
apprehended in a nationwide operation that Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan blessed with the words "The government is working"
Tuesday. The state has imposed a ban on press reports on the issue,
but yesterday nearly all newspapers’ headlines were full of disturbing
details about the operation against the gang known as "Ergenekon."
Those under custody may be accused of plotting to assassinate senior
figures such as Leyla Zana and Ahmet Turk, two prominent pro-Kurdish
politicians, and novelist Orhan Pamuk, according to media reports.
Provocations:
It is also suspected that they are linked with various provocations,
including three bomb attacks against the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet in
May 2006, the assassinations of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink last January and nationalist writer Necip Hablemitoðlu on
Dec. 18, 2002.
The name "Ergenekon" implies an ideological link to the Turkish
far-right, as in Turkic genesis mythology, it is believed that a
gray wolf showed the Turks the way out of their legendary homeland
"Ergenekon." Turkish ultranationalists have used the name "Grey Wolf"
for decades.
Nevertheless, those under police custody have a different profile than
an ordinary "ultra nationalist on the street." The most prominent
name is Retired Brig. General Veli Kucuk, whose name hovered over
many political scandals – but remained virtually untouchable, since
a groundbreaking traffic accident in Nov. 3, 1996, dubbed as the
"Susurluk scandal."
The scandal broke out when the identities of four people in a
Mercedes were revealed after an accident in Susurluk, approximately
400 kilometers southwest of Istanbul. The three dead were Huseyin
Kocadað, a former deputy chief of Istanbul police, Abdullah Catlý, an
ultra nationalist convicted of the massacre in which seven students
were murdered brutally in Ankara in 1978 and his girlfriend. Sedat
Edip Bucak, the Þanlýurfa deputy from the True Path Party (DYP) and
a local leader of a practically private "army" of village guards used
by the state against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), was wounded.
The scandal kept the public awake for months, revealing shadowy
relations between various powers within the state apparatus and
ultra nationalists. For some, the accident revealed the tip of the
"deep state" in Turkey.
Defending the ‘official line’:
Veli Kucuk is the alleged founder of JÝTEM (Gendarmerie Intelligence),
whose existence was denied by governments for years.
Others in custody are no less interesting than him: Lawyer Kemal
Kerincsiz, who came in the spotlight as one of the leaders of protests
in front of Turkish courts against prominent writers and intellectuals
such as Orhan Pamuk and Hrant Dink, is one of them.
Kerincsiz is known to be a staunch supporter of the infamous Article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code, and he has, on various occasions,
accused those who spoke against the "official line" in issues such
as the Kurdish problem or the alleged Armenian genocide of "treason."
Three other detaines are Guler Komurcu, a columnist at Akþam daily,
Fikri Karadað, the President of the "Kuvayi Milliye" (National Forces)
Association, Ali Yasak and Sami Hoþtan, two alleged "mafia" leaders,
and Fuat Turgut, lawyer of Yasin Hayal, the alleged instigator of
the murder of Dink.
Another figure that press reports linked to those is Retired Captain
Muzaffer Tekin, who is accused of instigating Alparslan Aslan into
storming the Council of State on May 17, 2006 and killing one top
judge. Tekin was arrested last year, after a police raid in Umraniye
that unveiled 27 hand grenades in a slum house.
Seeking money for murder:
The shadowy organization was seeking YTL 2 million (approximately $1.7
million) to assassinate renowned novelist Orhan Pamuk, according to
yesterday’s Hurriyet daily. The paper said telephone conversations
of the suspects had been wiretapped for the last eight months.
Another allegation is that an associate of those under custody was
planning to murder a retired colonel, according to Hurriyet.
Meanwhile, daily Radikal focused on the "Ergenekon" organization
itself. According to the paper, members believe they are the "real
defenders" of the Turkish Republic, and are intent on doing everything
possible to "pacify or even liquidate internal enemies."
The organization consists of four "command posts" and two "civilian
presidencies" directly accountable to one "president." The "civilian
leaders" are responsible of "organizing civilian elements" in the
society, while former officers and former intelligence officials are
the "backbone" of the whole organization, Radikal wrote.
Core within a core:
According to documents confiscated last year, civilians constitute
an "inner organization" within "Ergenekon." This "core" is named as
"Lobby" and is led by five civilians, who are in contact with the
rest of the group through two "appointees."
The documents claim that the "Lobby" aims to create a "counter-force"
against "foreign non-governmental organizations operating in Turkey."
Another function of the "Lobby" is, according to Radikal, "influencing
trade unions," while also gaining economic power through commercial
companies.
Speaking to the "Haber 7" Web site, former police chief Bulent
Orakoðlu said the "final aim" of the operation is to destroy "Turkish
Gladio," resuscitating an old debate. "In many countries, operations
against Gladio were launched and these relics of the Cold War were
destroyed," Orakoðlu, a former police intelligence chief, said. "But
such an operation had not been launched in Turkey. Now I am under
the impression that Turkey has taken this step."
"I think that the operation has some sort of preventive quality,"
Orakoðlu continued, strengthening allegations that the group was
about to unleash a high-profile assassination.
Gladio, meaning "Sword" in Italian, was a code name given to a
clandestine NATO operation in Italy during the Cold War, allegedly
aiming to counter a "Soviet invasion" of Western Europe. However,
the name passed to obscurity, as it was unveiled that all NATO
members had created similar clandestine organizations, under alleged
CIA supervision.
The suspects will be taken to court today.
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