Anti-terror board convenes with a

Controversial new measures to fight terrorism top the agenda of today's meeting of a top anti-terror board.

There is some concern over the risks of some of the measures, such as bestowing police authority on the gendarmerie while on anti-terror missions and excluding suspects' lawyers from their first interrogation.

The meeting will be hard for the government to pull off given that it has to balance the military's demand for greater authority in anti-terror operations with European Union norms. EU officials are especially concerned about the presence of lawyers during interrogations and the obligation to obtain a prosecutor's warrant for house searches, which they consider vital to the rule-of-law.

Although there is much talk about the potential danger of increasing security forces' authorities in the struggle against terrorism, the military seemed keen to adopt a more comprehensive approach during a meeting with six high-level academics, who convened with Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ on Tuesday, according to participants.

One of the attendees of the five-hour meeting, International Strategic Research Organization, or USAK, expert İhsan Bal noted that anti-terror powers, though important for the military, were by no means the focus of its approach. �From the questions the military asked us, I had the impression that they wanted to establish a multi-institutional participation solution for the specific problem of reducing new recruits to terrorist organizations. What local community leaders, such as professors, imams, local radio broadcasters, mayors etc. might do to contribute to these efforts was the dominant topic of discussion,� said Bal, speaking to the Turkish Daily News yesterday.

The meeting was the first of its kind. Never before has the military sought such a comprehensive academic view on anti-terrorism, ranging from psychology and sociology to economics and international relations. The scheduling of the meeting two days before the top anti-terror board meeting is particularly important.

�Gen. Başbuğ is concerned with the solutions: he prefers not to work with people with a sentimental approach, whether they be retired generals or journalists. He is bent on heeding people who do serious research and reach solid conclusions, even if those conclusions do not conform to the long-standing views,� Bal stated. The military asked how to address different dimensions of the problem and the academics shared their views with them, Bal said.



A multi-dimensional approach

Specific demands of the military for greater anti-terror powers include preventing press institutions that publish Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, propaganda from entering the region. The exclusion of suspects' lawyers from initial investigations is another demand.

The military has asked for the requirement to obtain a judge or prosecutor's warrant to conduct searches in houses, workplaces and non-public enclosed spaces to be lifted. Another concern is the clause in the police duties and authorities act that bans security forces from demanding the opening of enclosed spaces during a vehicle search. The military also wants police-style authority � such as the right to detain � for units charged with anti-terror missions, namely the gendarmerie. The gendarmerie also wants to the authority to conduct searches in areas under police jurisdiction, as well as the use of �jammers,� a device used to cut wireless connections, a vital measure against remote-controlled explosives.

As concerns about human rights were raised, President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed that Turkey would not make concessions to democracy. They added, however, that the government was ready to meet the military's demands. Justice Minster Mehmet Ali Şahin had earlier announced that the government agreed to two of the military's proposals to make the fight against terror more effective.

Meanwhile, Başbuğ visited Republican People's Party, or CHP, leader Deniz ****** yesterday and discussed possible measures against terror.

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