KURKCU COMMENTS ON THE MGK MEETING

Ankara representative of the "biggest" newspaper comments on the statement released following the National Security Council meeting that lasted until midnight. "Look, I'm now deciphering the codes of this statement for you. Look, it says 'reactions and thoughts against publications and statements that target the state's institutions have been voiced'. It says 'reactions', so this means that the army members have spoken. Bu what have happened next, 'it's affirmed that such activities won't benefit the nation'. Look, this 'affirmation' is very important. It means that there's no crisis between the government and the army. Such a delight!"

The efforts of this "Ankara representative" to decipher the statement -which anyone with an ordinary level of intelligence could understand- shouldn't be discarded as fully trivial. It can be regarded as a "supply-side movement" by a journalist, who desperately tries to cover a long-awaited and record-long Council meeting and who resorts to explaining "what wasn't talked" at the meeting as no one knows exactly what went on inside.

Yet, it's evident that this can't satisfy the citizens' need. We can understand what didn't happen by ourselves. But can we know what have happened at the meeting?

Only the third paragraph of the four-paragraph statement covers the issues that are within the lawful duties of the Council. First two are -despite being written in a metaphoric language- directly on domestic politics.

As we're not at war with anyone, brag about the success of our "peace oriented" foreign policy, a unilateral cease arms have been established with the PKK and there nothing that would bother the army in Cyprus other than the objection of YKP, it's easy to understand that the subject of this 7-and-a-half-hour meeting between the government and the army is not about "national security".

What's not so obvious is why is the Council spending taxpayers' money on something that's not in its responsibility? Which law gives it such authority?

All institutions in Turkey are supervised -even if it's just a showpiece.  Yet, no one's inspecting the Council! Reports of proceedings of its meetings are classified. We can't learn its content, but the National Assembly is obliged to take its recommendations into agenda.

It seems that the government has no problems with this and we're expected to feel content with the fact that they and the army are working harmoniously. In fact, the reverse case would be better for us. At least, in that situation each side talks about what other's said to prove himself right and we can learn have a better idea about what lies before us.

If the republic is something more than replacing the palace with the Council, it could be purposeful to demand that the Council's meetings are televised through the National Assembly TV. If the assembly's agenda is set at the Council, Meclis TV might as well send an live broadcast uplink vehicle to the Council.(EK/AGÜ)