Turkish PM calls on army to stay out of politics

By Paul de Bendern

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has called on the army to stay out of politics following months of tensions between the Islamist-rooted government and the staunchly secular military.

The army, which has ousted four governments in the past 50 years, has voiced opposition to Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's expected election to the presidency by the end of this month because of his Islamist past.

"Let us not mix the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) up with politics. Let it stay in its place. Because all our institutions conduct their duties in line with what is set out in the constitution," Erdogan told Kanal D late on Monday.

"If you draw them into politics, then why are we here?" Erdogan asked in the interview. "For us the armed forces are sacred. They have a special place."

Gul won most votes in the first round of a presidential election in parliament on Monday but fell just short of securing the two-thirds majority needed to become the European Union-applicant country's next head of state immediately.

The secular elite, which includes army generals and top judges, blocked Gul's first bid to become president in April, triggering a parliamentary election in July which was intended to defuse the crisis over the presidency.

The ruling AK Party, which has its roots in political Islam but has pursued economic, social and political reforms since coming to power in 2002, won a landslide re-election on July 22.

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