TURKEY DETERMINED TO PURGE ITS GLADIO

TURKEY DETERMINED TO PURGE ITS GLADIO
Today's Zaman
Jan 24 2008
Turkey

The suspects arrested in police raids as part of the Ergenekon
operation Tuesday were taken to the hospital for a routine physical
check-up on Wednesday.

The prime minister has said a police inquiry resulting in the arrest
of dozens of people, including ex-army officers and lawyers, shows the
determination of Turkey to bring an end to state and military-linked
gangs.

The suspects have not been charged, but analysts agree that the 33
detained on Tuesday suspected of membership in a nationalist group,
calling themselves Ergenekon, are part of a shadowy network that
masterminded many attacks in Turkey.

The discovery is not the first of its kind. In the past two years,
the country's security forces unearthed a number of clandestine
gangs countrywide. These groups, known to the public by such names
as Atabeyler, Sauna and Umraniye, or Ergenekon -- the latest one to
be brought to light -- have tried to create chaos in the country at
crucial times such as last year's presidential election. However,
despite the fact that all these organizations were uncovered, with
many of their members being discovered, no significant punishment
has yet been imposed on the members of these gangs.

These gangs are apparently linked to a clandestine phenomenon that
functions similarly to Operation Gladio -- a post-World War II NATO
operation structured as "stay-behind" paramilitary organizations,
with the official aim of countering a possible Soviet invasion through
sabotage and clandestine operations. In fact, many analysts believe
such networks of groups in Turkey today, sometimes referred to as the
"deep state," are remnants of the Turkish leg of the actual Gladio.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan on Wednesday praised the security
forces for the recent operations, speaking to the members of the
press after a meeting with the Turkish Tradesmen's and Artisans'
Confederation (TESK). He said his government has been fighting gangs
and organized crime with resolve. "This has been ongoing for four
to five years. In addition to our security forces there is also a
process that the judiciary has been conducting. This is something we
are happy about. This last incident concerning such crimes has shown
in the clearest way that the executive branch and the judiciary are
working in a wonderful solidarity," he stated.

"All democrats in Turkey have been looking forward to this sort
of action by the government ... Everybody is now hoping something
will happen but people remain very suspicious," said Cengiz Aktar,
a professor at Ýstanbul's Bahceþehir University, to Reuters.

"This is a very important test for the government, they will be
judged by this ... If these people [are guilty and] are convicted,
it will be very good for Turkish democracy as well as for our efforts
to join the European Union," Reuters quoted Aktar as saying.

Ergenekon members trying to take power in their own hands

Aykut Cengiz Engin, Ýstanbul's chief prosecutor, in a written
statement announced that earlier bans on reporting about the
investigation remained in place. However, all Turkish newspapers,
with the exception of a few ultra-nationalist ones, covered the
operation nevertheless. "Never gone this deep before," read Yeni
Þafak's headline yesterday. "The state takes on the deep state,"
Sabah said in one of its headlines. "A deep blow to a deep gang," said
Star. "Operation against coup supporters," said Radikal, highlighting
the military ties of the group.

The nationalist gang is suspected of involvement in a number of
violent attacks, including the killing of an Italian priest in 2006,
the assassination of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and the murder
of three Christians in the city of Malatya last year.

The suspects were detained in Ýstanbul and other regions in dawn
raids Tuesday, the culmination of an eight-month operation, the police
said. The police have been observing the actions of the suspects for
over eight months as part of an investigation into a house full of
explosives and ammunition found in Ýstanbul's Umraniye district eight
months ago.

Meanwhile, four more people were taken into custody in the
southeastern city of Diyarbakýr in the afternoon yesterday as part
of the same operation. Among the four, at least two are members of
the ultra-nationalist Association for the Union of Patriotic Forces
(VKGB), whose leaders are already under arrest facing several charges
for crimes from theft and felony to blackmail and extortion.

Engin's statement said until Tuesday's detentions, 15 people had
been arrested as part of the Umraniye operation, which was launched
on June 12, when an arms depot was found in the district. He said
all 15 were arrested facing charges of "establishing and running an
armed terrorist organization," "membership in this organization,"
"conspiring to encourage military member for not obeying orders,"
"acquiring information on state security," "possession of a serious
amount of dangerous guns and ammunition" and "being in possession
of explosives."

The suspects of Ergenekon

Engin's statement also listed the names of the 33 people taken into
custody. The suspects include Veli Kucuk, a retired major general
who is also the alleged founder of an illegal intelligence unit
in the gendarmerie, the existence of which is denied by officials;
the controversial ultranationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who filed
countless suits against Turkish writers and intellectuals who were at
odds with Turkey's official policies; Fikret Karadað, a retired army
colonel; Sevgi Erenerol, the press spokesperson for a group called
the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate; Guler Komurcu, a columnist for
the Akþam daily; and Sami Hoþtan, a key figure in an investigation
launched after a car accident in 1996 near the small town of Susurluk
that uncovered links between a police chief, a convicted fugitive who
was an ultranationalist and a deputy. Ali Yasak, a well-known gangster
linked to the figures in the Susurluk incident, was also detained in
the operation. Fuat Turgut, the lawyer of a key suspect in the Hrant
Dink murder, was also taken into custody. Police said Turgut, who was
detained in another town on Tuesday, was brought to Ýstanbul yesterday.

The chief prosecutor said earlier court orders on the Umraniye probe
have classified the case as "confidential" and issued a press ban on
coverage of the investigation. He cited two different court's decisions
from June 15 and June 21. He said care shown in regards to abiding by
the confidentiality decision and the press ban on the investigation is
"necessary for the proper conducting of the investigation."

Also on Wednesday, the police conducted searches at the office of
attorney Kerincsiz and the office of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate
as well as at several other places related to the suspects.

The operation also revealed that the Ergenekon gang was preparing for
attacks and assassinations directed at political figures. Documents
obtained by the police during the raid confirm that in the past two
years the group seriously considered assassinating Osman Baydemir,
a member of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) who is
currently mayor of the mainly Kurdish southeastern province Diyarbakýr.

DTP refuses state protection

Meanwhile, the recent operation showed that many DTP members who
had been offered private bodyguards by the state, including former
DTP leader Ahmet Turk, Ýstanbul deputy Sebahat Tuncel and Diyarbakýr
Mayor Baydemir, had refused 24-hour body guards assigned to them by
the police force.

When asked about the situation, Turk said he was not worried. "I
believe in fate." He noted that he was aware of assassination attempts
against him, but said he was not afraid. On the recent operations,
Turk said it was very important that members of the Ergenekon gang
were captured, but he warned that the suspects could be "protected"
by some powers, which is usually the case with criminals that have
links to the military. "It is necessary for democracy and law that
there is a crackdown on these organizations. I hope that all these
organizations will be exposed with determination," Turk said.