Despite not being sure of the sincerity of the main opposition party's call for the abolishment of an article that is believed to be the main reason behind the military's courage to stage coups, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has vowed to take the steps necessary to annul the article.

Article 35 of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) Internal Service Law effectively paves the way for the military to intervene in domestic affairs under certain circumstances and carry out coups. Addressing a rally in the southeastern province of Bingöl on Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proposed setting up a commission to consider abolishing the article and invite Parliament -- which is currently on a summer break -- to hold an extraordinary session to remove the article. The prime minister's remarks were in reaction to a recent call by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), who said the prime minister should remove Article 35 if he is sincere about settling accounts with the perpetrators of the Sept. 12, 1980 coup d'état and its legacy.Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is hoping to eradicate the legacy of the bloody coup with a vote on a constitutional amendment package in a public referendum on Sept. 12.The Turkish military, which played a key role in the establishment of the Turkish Republic, has long seen itself as the protector of the regime. Article 35 of the Internal Service Law stipulates that the duty of the TSK is to protect the Turkish motherland and the Constitution. The TSK has carried out coups in the past, invoking this article as justification.“If necessary, we can put it on the agenda at the start of the new legislative year,” Erdoğan said on Saturday, and added: “We can make a new revision of Article 35.” All eyes are now on Kılıçdaroğlu to see how his party will respond to the AK Party's decisiveness in taking steps to get rid of the remnants of the 1980 coup. The CHP announced on Sunday that it will submit a proposal to Parliament next week for the abolishment of the notorious Article 35. The ruling party is, however, not hopeful about the CHP's cooperation on the abolishment of the notorious article due to past bitter experience.In the past, the CHP retreated from its promises to cooperate with the AK Party. On the abolishment of Article 15 of the Constitution, which prevents any legal action against the instigators of the 1980 coup, the main opposition party said it was ready to take any step to get rid of the article. When the AK Party moved to remove the article, however, the CHP refused to cooperate.The AK Party is now planning to wait for Parliament to return from summer holiday on Oct. 1 to discuss the abolishment of Article 35. The CHP is unwilling to cut the holiday short and have Parliament hold an extraordinary meeting on the article.AK Party parliamentary group deputy chairman Bekir Bozdağ said the CHP is a political party that lacks sincerity in its proposals. “The CHP is approaching the issue from a populist perspective. Its objective is to sabotage the referendum process. Last year the CHP parliamentary group deputy chairmen visited all the political parties and asked for support for the removal of Article 15 of the Constitution. We included the abolishment of the article in our reform package but the CHP is opposed to it now. It is not certain what they are trying to do,” he noted.AK Party Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik said the country's problems cannot be settled by “proposals voiced in haste.”“Kılıçdaroğlu's proposal is neither meaningful nor sincere. If they are sincere, the CHP parliamentary deputy chairmen should prepare a parliamentary proposal and submit it to be evaluated by all political parties,” he stated.On the other hand, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) does not believe that Turkey's problems with coups d'état can be solved with the abolishment of Article 35. “Staging a coup is a constitutional crime. But coup plotters are ready to violate the Constitution. A coup cannot have a legal justification. You cannot prevent the staging of a coup by removing this article,” noted MHP Deputy Chairman Cihan Paçacı.MHP parliamentary group deputy chairman Oktay Vural said his party will show a stance in favor of the strengthening of democracy if a commission is set up in Parliament for the removal of the notorious article. “Coups do not have a democratic or legal background. We are against the idea of Article 35 being shown as a justification for coups. Can coups have legitimacy?” he asked.Retired military judge Ümit Kardaş agreed, and said coup stagers may justify their action through any article or law. “For example, they'd say they are entitled the stage a coup by Article 36 if Article 35 is abolished,” he said and added that the self-rule of the General Staff should be ended to prevent future coups. 26 July 2010, MondayERCAN YAVUZ  ANKARA