Turkish officials give stern warning to radical Islamists

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey's leaders on Sunday warned they would counter any surge by extremist Islamic movements, a week after a party with Islamic roots swept national elections.

The head of the country's military, meanwhile, said on his return from the United States that he had demanded compensation for any economic losses in the event of war against Iraq.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said the country's secular principles will be defended.

"I want to stress that struggle against movements that attempt to overthrow the democratic and secular republic will be determinedly maintained," Sezer said in a speech.

On Friday, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, the head of Turkey's staunchly secular military, also warned that the armed forces were ready to defend Turkey's secular and Western traditions and protect the state against "fundamentalism."

The warnings came after the Justice and Development Party won a majority of seats in last week's elections. The party, which will form the next government, has its origins in Turkey's Islamic movement but says it is a secular, democratic party.

Sezer's statement came on the 64th anniversary of the death of Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the mausoleum of Ataturk to pay tribute. A minute of silence was observed nationwide at the exact time Ataturk died on Nov. 10, 1938.

Justice leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly denied that his party seeks an Islamic agenda and has emphasized Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

A prominent prosecutor, Omer Suha Aldan, said radical Islamic activities still posed a threat to the secular republic.

"There is need for an administrative understanding that will refrain from words and behaviors that would encourage religious and ethnic terror organizations," Aldan said.

Erdogan, a former member of a pro-Islamic party closed by the courts, is banned from serving as premier because of a conviction for inciting religious hatred. The party has not indicated who will be its candidate for premier.

The party might try to change the constitution to allow Erdogan to serve as premier, though it fell just short of getting the two-thirds majority needed in parliament for that.

Sezer, former head of Turkey's supreme court, warned against changes to the constitution for Erdogan.

"Politics should respect laws, amendments for individuals should be avoided," Sezer said.

The Justice party won 363 of the 550 seats in parliament and can form a single-party government -- the first time that has been possible after 15 years of divided politics here.

Since pressuring modern Turkey's first Islamic-led government out of power in 1997, the military has doggedly opposed any rise in radical Islam.

"Turkey's armed forces has the will and determination to look out for and protect the republic against all types of threats, especially fundamentalism and separatist activities," Ozkok said Friday.

Separatism generally refers to actions by autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels.

Turkish law empowers the army to defend the country's constitutionally guaranteed secular principles and defend it against domestic as well as foreign threats.

The military has staged takeovers three times since 1960, the last military-led government ruled from 1980-83. The interventions have generally been welcomed by the public.

Turkey's military, the second largest in NATO with its 750,000-strong army, has always been treated with a special status in society.

It ranks first in opinion polls whenever respondents are asked whom they trust most.

Returning from the United States Sunday, Ozdok said he asked U.S. officials to compensate Turkey's economic losses in case of war against Iraq.

Turkey, a key U.S. ally, borders Iraq and its support would be crucial to any Iraq operation. However, Turkish officials have deep reservations against a military action, citing concerns that a war could destabilize the entire region and could send troubled Turkish economy into deeper recession.

"It is of crucial importance that measures to compensate Turkey's economic losses be taken," Ozkok told a news conference at a military airport. He did not say how the Americans responded, though U.S. officials have voiced support for possible economic aid if war breaks out.