Erdogan Listened To Him From Cell Phone

Ertugrul Ozkok said that “Information about the speech of General Ozkok and conveyed to PM Erdogan were not very bright, before his address. There was an expectancy that, the Chief of Staff was to make harsh statements against U.S. The Prime Minister, who is in Japan, listened to part of the address of Ozkok, from his phone. The text of Ozkok’s address and his answers to questions were written down and faxed to him later on.

“As for my opinion; the address of Ozkok was typical of him. But why did he feel the need to make this address? I failed to answer this question. He said that “The Annan Plan has positive and negative points for us” and listed the negative sides. But not the positive sides, in the text distributed to journalists. He listed positive aspects only upon the question of Sedat Ergin. He seemed to expect such a question because the positive aspects of the plan appeared to be reviewed very well.

“His second message was to those who call themselves “Kuvayi Milliye.” (The national independence army.) It was for the first time that an address by a general mentioned the term “The people of Turkey.” Stressing that the Turkish nationalism had no ethnic basis, Ozkok quoted Ataturk who had said “The people of Turkiye who established the Turkish Republic, are called the Turkish nation.””

“In his address, Ozkok underlined very boldly, the principle of secularism. But he also said that soldiers were not against beliefs and a person could be both secular and have faith. The meaning of his words was: “If we do not want tension in this country, let us refrain from behavior hurting secularism.” What can one do but applaud such an attitude of a Turkish Chief of Staff?”