Turkey facing threat from fundamentalists, says Sezer
ANKARA, Oct 1: Turkey’s president warned on Sunday of a continued fundamentalist threat to his country and said the military, the traditional guardians of the secular system, must be kept powerful.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was speaking at the formal opening of the legislative year, his last address to parliament before he steps down as president in May 2007.
His words appeared to be aimed at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, which has Islamic roots, and against the European Union which has been pressurising Turkey to curb the military’s powers.
Mr Sezer spoke of increased measures that were ‘rolling back’ the gains of the secular republic, and said these were increasing tension in the country.—-APP
