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Turkeyâ€™s former National Security Secretary Tuncer Kilic: â€œTurkey must leave NATOâ€

22 January 2009 08:53 (UTC +04:00)

Ankara â€“APA. Turkeyâ€™s former National Security Secretary Tuncer Kilic, who was arrested within the 10th Ergenekon operation on January 7, has given his first interview since releasing three days later after his arrest. Interviewed by Star TV News Director Ugur Dundar, Kilic said he coordinated all intelligence organizations in the country during in his office in the National Security Council and he never saw any report about the Ergenekon secret organization. â€œIf prosecution and court are investigating this case, then there was such issue, but we had no idea about itâ€.

The retired general said somebody was campaigning in Turkey to compromise and to weaken the army and he was also arrested with this view.
Kilic said the Turkish army was always forcibly involved in the political processes and reminded about the military coups in the past years. â€œThe stratums suffered during these coups have now their media representatives and are trying to get own back from the Turkish armyâ€.

Kilic said Turkey would never enter into the European Union. He said EU tried to divide Turkey demanding different rights for the Kurdish people and accepting them as an ethnic minority. The general said NATO was working for the US interests and Turkey must leave the NATO to be fully independent.