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Turkish court frees ex-Navy, Air Force chiefs

25 February 2010 22:40 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Prosecutors released the former chiefs of the navy and air force and another top general late Thursday without immediately charging them with being involved in an alleged coup plot to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government, saying they were unlikely to flee, APA reports citing Associated Press.

Twenty current and former senior officers, including five admirals and three generals, have been formally charged with plotting several years ago to topple Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, and ordered held in jail.

Adm. Ozden Ornek, the former navy chief, and Gen. Ibrahim Firtina, the former air force chief, are still being investigated, prosecutor Turan Colakkadi said.

The prosecutors also released Gen. Ergin Saygun, ex-deputy chief of the military, but ordered him to report to the police regularly. All three could still be charged later.

Their release came hours after the country’s military chief, the president and the prime minister met to defuse tensions over the probe into the alleged military coup plot in 2003.

The tensions between Turkey’s two main political forces â€” the Islamic-based government and the fiercely secular military â€” have worried businesses and investors, shaking the markets. Opposition parties have urged early elections to end the turmoil.

Earlier Thursday, Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul held a rare, three-hour meeting with Gen. Ilker Basbug, chief of the military, and afterward all three issued a joint statement.

"The public must be assured that matters will be handled in line with the law and everyone should act responsibly not to damage institutions," the statement said.