Parliamentary commission visits Demirel over 1960 coup

Turkey’s ninth president and former Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel has reportedly told a parliamentary commission tasked with investigating past coups that he regrets the 1960 military coup and that Turkey would be different if that coup hadn’t happened.

Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) İstanbul deputy Nimet Baş, who is also presiding over the Parliamentary Commission to Investigate Coups and Military Memorandums, told reporters that Demirel told commission members that coups are “bad in every way.” He reportedly regretted the 1960 coup and said Turkey would have reached a different point if it hadn’t experienced the coup and hanged Prime Minister Adnan Menderes.

Demirel spoke to the members of the commission at his Ankara home on Thursday. Members of the commission, which has decided to hear 180 witnesses as part of the body’s investigation into past military takeovers in Turkey, visited Demirel at his home on Güniz St.

The commission decided earlier this month to establish three sub-commissions to investigate the May 27, 1960; March 12, 1971; Sept. 12, 1980; and Feb. 28, 1997 coups. The sub-commissions will also investigate the April 27, 2007 e-memorandum in which the General Staff threatened “action” if the AK Party government did not do more to preserve the republic’s secular tradition. The e-memorandum came amid a political crisis to elect the country’s president.

Demirel is often accused of turning a blind eye to the activities of an illegal group within the military known as the West Study Group (BÇG) during the Feb. 28, 1997 coup period. The BÇG used to categorize politicians, intellectuals, soldiers and bureaucrats according to their religious and ideological backgrounds. Because an investigation is under way into the participants of the Feb. 28 coup, there is mounting pressure for Demirel to be put on trial for his role in the coup.

Baş reiterated that Demirel was the prime minister during May 12, 1971 coup, prime minister during the Sept. 12, 1980 coup and the president during the Feb. 28, 1997 so-called post-modern coup. Baş also said they discussed almost all Turkey’s coups in a four-hour meeting, but had little time left to discuss the Feb. 28 process, in which civilian government was forced to resign by the military. She added that Demirel told the commission he expects to meet with commission members to discuss the last coup in some detail.

Baş further stated that Demirel said there is no “defensible side” to suspending democracy no matter what rationale is behind such an action, noting that during certain periods people might be afraid to defend democracy, which he said is understandable.

The experienced Turkish statesman also said politicians were not strong enough to defend democracy and that coups should be assessed within the time period they took place in.

08.06.2012
SOURCE: TODAYS ZAMAN