General Staff Denies Silencing Retired Officers

The weekend saw wide-spread media reports saying that the General Staff had banned retired generals from talking. According to the "Radikal" newspaper, for instance, retired commanders who have spoken out on the PKK, the Kurdish question and cross-border operations may not be allowed to make use of military restaurants and leisure centres.

The reports came after the Defense Ministry amended its regulations last week to prohibit, either temporarily or permanently, officials who “write or make statements, or speak in such a way as to destroy sense or trust,” from entering “military houses” and the ministry's social facilities.

Radikal referred to a "flood" of military memoirs in recent years. Retired officers had been criticised by Prime Minister Erdogan and Ground Forces Commander General Basbug, the latter speaking of a "great information pollution."

The General Staff has reacted to claims that it is punishing retired soldiers for talking by posting a statement on its official web site. Referring to the latest change in regulations of the Defense ministry, it said that "“The draft for the amendment was submitted to the Ministry of Defense on Apr. 30, 2007. The additional clause is not intended to limit freedom of speech, but to protect the companionship in arms and pacta sund servanda principle inherent in the Turkish Armed Forces." (NZ/AG)

* This article has made use of the Turkish Daily News website.