Turkey picks army boss, public tension seen easing

Turkish soldiers patrol along a road in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak, bordering Iraq, February 28, 2008.

ANKARA (Reuters) - Land forces commander Ilker Basbug has been appointed head of Turkey's powerful armed forces, a hawkish general who is expected to avoid open confrontation with the Islamist-rooted governing AK Party.

The General Staff said in a statement on Monday Basbug would take charge of NATO's second biggest army on August 30 from retiring general Yasar Buyukanit, who has often clashed openly with the government.

The move comes as Turkey, a key U.S. ally, hopes to put behind it a long power struggle between the powerful secularist establishment, including generals and judges, and the AK Party.

"Unlike the often impulsive incumbent... Buyukanit, Basbug is known for his cool and calculating nature," said Wolfango Piccoli, an analyst at political risk think-tank Eurasia Group.

"The result will be less likelihood of abrupt escalations in civil-military tension, but at the same time more effective political pressure from the military," he said.

Turkey's highest court on Wednesday rejected an attempt by a chief prosecutor -- seen as backed by the secularists -- to shut down the AK Party but imposed financial penalties on it for anti-secular activities.

The government has long been at odds with the secularist establishment over the role of religion in Turkey.

Turkey, predominantly Muslim, has a secular constitution, and the military considers itself the ultimate guardian of the republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Hard-line secularists accuse the AK Party of harboring a hidden Islamist agenda by seeking to ease restrictions on religion in public life, such as its failed attempt to ease a ban on Muslim headscarves at universities.

HIGHLY RESPECTED

"Basbug... is regarded as one of the most outstanding officers of his generation, combining a strong intellect with a deep commitment to Turkish secularism. Basbug, who will occupy the post for the next two years, is likely to prove a formidable opponent for the AKP," Piccoli said.

Basbug's appointment was announced along with a flurry of other promotions and retirements after the annual meeting of Turkey's Higher Military Council, chaired by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Board decisions will be sent to President Abdullah Gul for approval.

Paramilitary gendarmerie commander General Isik Kosaner, also considered a hawk, takes over the land forces command.

Analysts say Basbug arrives at a difficult time for the military. A widening police investigation into a shadowy, ultra-nationalist organization, called Ergenekon, has forced the military onto the defensive for the first time in years.

The army, known for having an almost untouchable status in Turkey, denies any connections to Ergenekon, accused of seeking to overthrow the government, and has repeatedly criticized the Turkish media for a series of negative articles against them.

Tensions were exacerbated in July by the arrests of two senior retired generals and others -- all critical of the ruling party -- on suspicion of trying to overthrow the government.

The military has removed four governments in 50 years, most recently in 1997 when it mounted a public campaign that forced the ruling Islamist Welfare Party to quit. On that occasion, unlike now, the ruling party was unpopular.

(Editing by Robert Hart)