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| Europe |
| Turkish PM calls on army to stay out of politics |
| 2007-08-22 |
| Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has called on the army to stay out of politics following months of tensions between the Islamist-rooted government and the staunchly secular military. “Let us not mix the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) up with politics. Let it stay in its place. Because all our institutions conduct their duties in line with what is set out in the constitution”, Erdogan told Kanal D late on Monday. “If you draw them into politics, then why are we here?” Erdogan asked in the interview. “For us the armed forces are sacred. They have a special place.” The army, which has ousted four governments in the past 50 years, has voiced its opposition to Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul becoming president because of his Islamist past. Gul won most votes in the first round of a presidential election in parliament on Monday but fell just short of securing the two-thirds majority needed to become the European Union-applicant country’s next head of state immediately. The secular elite, which includes army generals, blocked Gul’s first bid to become president in April, triggering a parliamentary election in July which was intended to defuse the crisis over the presidency. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 then quit mixing religion and politics, asshole |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-08-22 07:40 |