Turkish navy chief joins other military leaders in warning of growing Islamist threat

Admiral Yener Karahanoglu's remarks, like those of the land forces commander earlier in the week, appeared targeted both at the Islamic-rooted government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and at the EU, which has insisted that the military lower its profile in state affairs.

"In a Turkey where some forces are allowed to continue using the screen of democracy to pursue their dark aims, giving concessions on secularism and the unitary structure of the state will cause harm that would be impossible to repair," Karahanoglu said. "The Turkish armed forces will never make the concessions that have been asked of them on the road to the EU."

Karahanoglu was speaking at the opening of the school year at a naval academy in Istanbul.

Turkey's fiercely secular generals see themselves as the guardians of the nation's secular identity. They view the current government, which has its roots in Turkey's Islamic political movement, with great distrust.

The generals appear to be coordinating recently in taking a harder line against it.

The military has led three fairly recent coups in Turkey - in 1960, 1971 and 1980 - and pressured a pro-Islamic government to step down in 1997 because it was perceived to have an excessive Islamist bent.

"I am of the opinion that seeing opposition to secularism grow in force, and secularism slowly being degraded, should make us think," Karahanoglu said.

He appeared confident, however, that the military could deal with the situation if necessary.

"This unending strength of ours is sufficient to overcome every kind of threat," he said. AP

/The International Herald Tribune/