The General Staff has published a press statement on its Internet site which rejects comments made by journalist Metehan Demir in an interview with Nese Düzel of the "Radikal" newspaper.

Demir knowledgable about army

In the interview, Demir had been introduced as follows:

"After finishing the air force cadet school, he did a masters in war studies at the Royal Academy in London. He knows the army well and has formed journalistic relations with high-ranking officers. He was the first journalist to be told about the 'e-memorandum'."

Abdullah Gül in contact with army

In the interview published on Monday, Demir had claimed that Abdullah Gül had consulted the army about his presidential candidacy and that the army was not uncomfortable about Gül himself, but about the headscarf [of his wife].
Demir also said that there was controversy about the "e-memorandum" of 27 April within the General Staff itself. Demir claimed that he was the first civilian to be notified of the intentions to publish a memorandum in the night of 27 April. A high-ranking officer contacted him.

He added that the army was uncomfortable at being identified with the Republican People's Party (CHP).

General Staff rejects claims as "lies"

The General Staff has now reacted by saying on its website that "All that information is not wrong, it is a lie". In a statement on the Habertürk channel, Demir has defended his claims, saying that he had made an analysis, that he stood behind his analysis, and that he would not enter into polemics with the General Staff.

Özkök supports Demir's claims

Demir's interview has been covered by several newspapers. "Hürriyet"'s editor-in-chief Ertugrul Özkök has written that Demir has made similar statements to him. According to Demir and Özkök, Chief of General Staff Yasar Büyükanit was informed of every step in the publication of the "e-memorandum" on the General Staff website at 23.17 pm on the night of 27 April.

The memorandum said that the developments int he presidential elections posed a threat to the laicism of the country, and that, if necessary, the army would use its authority.

Journalist Congar also accused of lying

This is not the first time that the General Staff has denounced a journalist's claims as lies. Yasemin Congar of the "Milliyet" newspaper had written about a workshop at the Hudson Institute in the USA that was attended by army representatives. The General Staff rejected her claims, but Congar said her article was based on sources and documents and that she stood behind the news item. (EÜ/AG)