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Turkey looks to restore order in military after top generals quit

Last updated (GMT/UTC): 01.08.2011 08:42

General Isik Kosaner (left) stands next to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a wreath-laying ceremony with members of the Supreme Military Council in Ankara on November 30, 2010.

Turkey's military and political leaders have gathered for a meeting where they hope to restore order within NATO's second-biggest army, which was shaken 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 is chairing a prescheduled, four-day Supreme Military Council meeting that began early on August 1 in the shadow of the departures.

Erdogan, who has rejected the idea that the exits spell crisis, 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.

compiled from agency reports

Link to original story on RFE/RL website

Topics: Armed forces/military,