The Army’s Action Plan?
Yasemin Congar wrote a hard-hitting Opinion piece in Taraf Daily on the Army General Staff’s Information Support Plan, dated September 2007, a document unearthed by Taraf Daily that it claims describes a comprehensive plan of action to intervene in politics and civilian life.
From a Todays Zaman article: The plan went into effect in September 2007, according to the document, which was composed of a series of “measures” to be taken against the government, which the military sees as the source of a “religious reactionary movement.” The document defined its goal as: “Bringing public opinion into line with the TSK [Turkish Armed Forces] on issues the TSK is sensitive about, preventing the development of incorrect opinions about the TSK, ensuring the unity and solidarity of opinions and actions within the TSK.” The same introductory chapter issues a caveat, stressing the need to avoid, “conflict with other state agencies” and relaying “the image of intervening in daily politics.” The plan also emphasizes that it is necessary to “bring universities, presidents of the higher judiciary, press members and artists into line with the TSK because they have the power to foment public opinion, and to ensure that these individuals act in the same way as the TSK.”
On Friday afternoon the General Staff released a statement denying Taraf’s report, claiming, “There is no such official document approved by the commanding ranks in General Staff records.”
click here for Congar (published in Taraf Daily, translated by Zaman Today)