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In another, one officer says: "The measures must be radical to quickly finish the job in order to protect the image of the Armed Forces since the religion issue is an extremely sensitive one." The Turkish military, for years the final judge of whether civilian governments were up to snuff, is on the defensive. The Islamic-leaning government appears to be waging a dogged campaign to curb military sway over the country's political life. Economy Minister Ali Babacan attempted to ease concerns, saying the government was trying to put the military under civilian rule as in the West. "Transformations may sometimes be painful," Babacan said Wednesday. "We are trying to make Turkey's democracy first class."
Four times since 1960, the military -- which views itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular tradition
-- has overthrown civilian governments. But observers say this government's success in reining in inflation, coupled with its reformist record as it works to join the European Union, appear to have given it the courage to confront the military. Turkey's top court warned Wednesday that no one was immune from prosecution if they violate the law. "Whoever uses the state power, they should know that they will be held accountable if they step out of the law," Hasim Kilic, head of the Constitutional Court said. "This power cannot be used as a tool to put society in order."
[Associated
Press;
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