Chairman of the Turkish General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel told AA, on the decision of the sledgehammer case, that he condemned the seperatist approaches intented to harm and sow discord among Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) after the discharge of his colleauges of the Turkish Land Forces Command.
Chief of Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel said in a statement to AA that he has met with the question frequently over the case and as to why the chief of defense remained silent.
Ozel said that the chief of defense is entitled to act in terms of duties and authorities laid down by the laws and as a public official and commander of Turkish Armed Forces he should take into consideration the situation before speaking out.
The historical judicial decisions should be discussed among specialists and the results should be reviewed by executive and legislative powers, added Ozel.
He stated that lessons should be taken from the past, and by letting it go, Turkey needed to focus on its future and “keep our union and peace.”
He was qouted as saying “firstly we share the prisoners’ families’ grief and sorrow. By the time I was appointed for the duty, arrests had already been made, proofs collected and investigations completed and the proceeding started off.”
Anatolia News Agency
