Azernews.Az

ISTANBUL – The Turkish government reached an agreement with the country's military on the appointment of its two top commanders, a move that would end a potentially destabilizing standoff between the country's civilian and military authorities.

A deal would end the worrying impasse, because Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who heads an Islamic-leaning government deeply at odds with Turkey's secularist officer corps, last week refused to endorse the military's candidate for the land-forces command after a four-day meeting of the country's Supreme Military Council, or YAS.

President Abdullah Gul approved the appointment of Gen. Isik Kosaner as chief of general staff, as largely expected, local news station NTV reported, quoting Ahmet Sever. The president's press adviser.

NTV also reported that Gen. Erdal Ceylanoglu, who was appointed 1st Army commander on Wednesday, will now command land forces, while Aegean Army commander Hayri Kivrikoglu will take the 1st Army job.

Under normal conditions, Gen. Saldiray Berk would take the 1st Army post as he has been a four star general for three years, while Gen. Kivrikoglu is a two-year four-star general. However, the government appeared to oppose his appointment as he is a suspect in a legal case involving an alleged coup plot.

According to Turkey's military tradition, the 1st Army commander Gen. Hasan Igsiz was the automatic candidate to be the next land-forces commander. The government, however, objected to his candidacy. Gen. Igsiz was called during the YAS meeting to testify in an inquiry into an alleged plot to discredit Mr. Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party on the Internet.

The plot is one of several that have implicated dozens of serving and retired generals in alleged attempts to topple the government. Turkey's military has conducted or encouraged four coups d'etat since 1960, and the current cases have split the nation. Critics of the government charge that the cases are largely fabricated and aim to weaken powerful institutions that oppose Ankara. The government has denied repeatedly those accusations.

Whether or not the cases are justified, they have severely undermined the political strength of Turkey's once all-powerful military. The rejection of Gen. Igsiz was widely portrayed by Turkish media as a victory for the government, demonstrating the ability of the civilian executive to impose its will.

At the YAS meeting, the government also blocked the promotions of 11 other generals and admirals awaiting trial for an alleged coup plot known as Sledgehammer, putting their careers on hold for at least a year.

Typically, YAS meetings end on the fourth day and appointments are disclosed, but this time the country waited another four days for the military to produce a new candidate to head the land forces. Turkey's military is the second largest in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, after the U.S.

The situation turned more complex Thursday when previous Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Atila Isik, considered next in line for Land Forces Command job, refused to take Gen. Igsiz's place and requested early retirement.