Turkey Looks To Restore Order In Military After Top Generals Quit
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — Turkey’s military and political leaders face a battle to restore order within NATO’s second-biggest army ahead of a military council meeting that has been overshadowed by the resignation of its top four generals in protest at the jailing of hundreds of officers.
Long-running strains between Turkey’s secularist military and Islamist-rooted government boiled over on July 29 when Chief of General Staff Isik Kosaner stepped down, along with the army, navy, and air force commanders — leaving the armed forces in disarray.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will chair a four-day Supreme Military Council meeting beginning on August 1.
Erdogan has moved quickly to designate a successor to the chief of general staff post and will be keen to smooth over an argument that is being closely monitored by financial markets.
President Abdullah Gul denies there is any crisis.
