PULSE of TURKEY No 24....................... SUNDAY, JULY 5th, 1998
THE TURKISH ARMED FORCES CHAIN OF COMMAND IN THE NEW CENTURY
Even though the press conference, which was held on the Government’s first anniversary, was to explain the first year of its performance and contained detailed information on all national issues, the media’s attention was focused on merely the forthcoming reshuffle in the Armed Forces. Consequently, the questions were concerned with recent criticisms by Yılmaz and Ecevit of General Çevik Bir for a remark attributed to him about the continuation of religious fundamentalism and the expected victory of the FP (Virtue Party) at the forthcoming elections in April 1999.
General Bir’s popularity and the politicians.
General Bir is a good specimen of the hİgh qualities of a Turkish soldier with his command of military science, knowledge of English and confidence-inspiring good looks in uniform. He is popular in the Armed Forces, NATO quarters, and Washington apparently regards him highly.
Yet he has, somehow, been rather unpopular with political leaders. This was so during the Erbakan-Çiller period and there are signs that it is the same with today’s Government too. Politicians, overtly or covertly, blame him for certain frictions that have emerged in recent months between the civilian and military rulers especially over the danger of religious fundamentalism in Turkey.
Yet each time the politicians attempted to blame General Bir for alleged interference in civilian affairs General Ismail Hakkı Karadayı, the Chief of the Turkish General Staff (TGS), stood by him and stated that General Bir was not acting on his own accord. He had given him the orders.
Short background of exchanges over fight against fundamentalism.
The first tension started six months ago, on February 10th,1998, when a big Istanbul daily headlined “Karadayı’s tour of duty to be extended for a year”.
According to this dispatch, the Government would pass a bill or a decree-law and extend General Karadayı’s term for a year. The First Army Commander, General Atilla Ateş, would retire having completed his four years as a 4-star general and would be succeeded by General Bir as the most senior 4-star general after his two superiors, General Karadayı and General Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu. This would mean General Kıvrıkoğlu becoming the Chief, TGS in August 1999 and General Bir succeeding him as the Ground Forces Commander. In the year 2001 General Kıvrıkoğlu would retire, having reached the age limit and General Bir would take over as the top commander, according to this scenario of the Istanbul daily.
Queried about the validity of this report the Prime Minister said at that time that it was not true. They had not yet made any plans for the reshuffle in the Armed Forces in August.
Some journalists (as usual Mehmet Ali Birand and some others) wrote provocative articles in their columns with claims that the Prime Minister had said that they would pension off General Karadayı in August. Thereafter the first dissension appeared between General Karadayı and PM Yılmaz.
On March 15th, the TGS issued a warning. “These ugly claims launched with no reason or basis stemming from the Turkish Armed Forces are totally wrong and untrue. These unfounded comments are figments of imagination…This delirium aims at creating discord among the commanders and at weakening the Turkish Armed Forces”.
Nevertheless, despite the TGS’s stiff warning, the claims of a rift between the civilian and military rulers especially over religious fundamentalism continued in the media, resulting in a 4-point memorandum on March 20th by General Karadayı and the four Service Commanders, including the Gendarmerie. It confirmed the Turkish Armed Forces’ loyalty to democracy, the Atatürk nationalism and the principles of democratic, secular and social State ruled by law, as defined by the Constitution. “The Turkish Armed Forces are loyal and respectful to the Goverments of the Republic which enjoy the confidence of the sublime nation and wish their success. But no matter whom it may be no one can deter the Turkish Armed Forces from fulfilling its legal duty of fighting against reactionary movements which harm the security of the nation.”
This statement by the five top commanders was in answer to PM Yılmaz’s remark that everyone should mind his own business. The military was now expressly saying that it is their business to fight against fundamentalism. President Demirel’s conciliatory role and PM Yılmaz’s moderate answer to the commanders’ declaration resulted in overcoming this crisis in March.
Crisis flares up again with politicians blaming some pressmen
It recently flared up again when the press quoted General Bir as saying that religious fundamentalism was still the biggest danger for the country and that, according to their surveys, the FP would be the first party at the forthcoming elections.
DSP Chairman Ecevit said at his party’s parliamentary caucus last week that the danger of fundamentalism could not be overcome by seeing nightmares about it, but by winning over, and refraining from antagonising, the sincerely religious people. Without naming anyone he also accused certain “influential quarters” for enhancing the FP’s election chances with these untimely forecasts.
Invited to comment on this election forecast by General Bir, PM Yılmaz said, “There are some authorities which are charged with carrying out such surveys and there are others which are not. If those who are not charged with this duty have carried out such a survey I will not comment on it.”
Answering a question at his press conference, Yılmaz also said that it was against the military’s tradition to comment on political parties. Defence Minister İsmet Sezgin said in answer to another question that General Bir had never said these words attributed to him and, therefore, there was nothing to comment about. Ecevit said he did not mean the military when he spoke of “certain influential circles” in the fight against reactionary movements.
Ecevit denies claims of interfering in military assignments
About press reports and comments that Ecevit was trying to influence the forthcoming reshuffle in the Armed Forces, he said that he had never done so even when it was his duty as Prime Minister in the seventies. He would never do such a thing today. The Armed Forces had deep-rooted rules and traditions and the promotions and reassignments in the Armed Forces in August would unroll within that context, he said.
The Istanbul daily’s above claim last February about the changes in the chain of command concerning General Ateş’s retirement in August and General Bir’s assignment as the First Army Commander this August, the Ground Forces Commander in August 1999 and the Chief, TGS in August 2001 was wrong anyway.
General Kıvrıkoğlu’s four years as Chief TGS will restore calm
A person who knows the military the best, President Kenan Evren told a journalist from his remote corner of retirement in Marmaris that General Çevik Bir could not become the Chief, TGS whether or not General Karadayı’s term of duty was extended for a year in August. He did not elaborate why but he apparently was totally in the know about all the details.
General Kıvrıkoğlu told a journalist last April that it was not true that he would retire in 2001 if he became Chief, TGS but in 2002 in which case even if he became the Ground Forces Commander in August 1999 General Bir would complete his two years in that position and retire from the position of Ground Forces Commander in August 2001.
General Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu was born in December 1934 and according to the Pensions Fund Law 2358, Article 105, the retirement of soldiers go into effect that year if they were born before September 1st and the following August if born after that day. So Gen Kıvrıkoğlu will serve as Chief, TGS for four years and not three as the press had reported.
Under these conditions, of the two 4-star generals more senior than General Bir, the Gendarmerie Commander, General Fikret Özden Boztepe, will retire this August and the other, General Ateş will become the Ground Forces Commander for two years. When he retires in August 2001 General Rasim Betir or General Hilmi Özkök will become the Ground Forces Commander and the Chief, TGS the following August when General Kıvrıkoğlu completes his four years as the Chief, TGS and retires in August 2002.
Of course, all these are subject to God’s Will about each one’s lifespan. If the two bullets “accidentally” fired by an unidentified soldier had killed General Kıvrıkoğlu, instead of the colonel standing by him at the military exercises in Cyprus a few months ago, the whole chain of command would have been changed and General Bir could have eventually become the Chief of the TGS.
It is certain that General Kıvrıkoğlu’s assignment as the Chief, TGS in August will calm down the recent disturbance in Turkish politics. The American daily “International Herald Tribune” has reported that General Kıvrıkoğlu will focus attention on military questions and leave the anti-fundamentalist activities mostly to the civilians. The military will be less weighty in Turkish politics after this assignment, according the the American daily’s expectations. uras@ada.net.tr.