Turk PM says any 'coup plotters' will be rooted out

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday if any military officers were planning a coup against his government, they would be rooted out and prosecuted.

The ruling AK Party, which has Islamist roots but also embraces the centre-right and nationalists, is at odds with the army over a document outlining a purported plan to undermine the government. A military prosecutor said last week there was no evidence to investigate an officer accused of drafting it.

Erdogan, suspected by many in the secularist armed forces of harbouring plans for an Islamic state, on Friday ushered through parliament legislation allowing civilian judges to hear cases against members of the armed forces in peacetime.

"This (legislation) is against coups and coup plotters. If they're there, it is aimed at prosecuting them all. The AK Party is fighting against gangs and illegal organisations," Erdogan told members of his party in the northwest town of Kocaeli. His speech was broadcast live on the NTV news channel.

ERGENEKON

Erdogan's direct comments on the armed forces would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, before his government began using the authority of a large parliamentary majority to pass European Union-inspired reforms to cut back the power of a military that has ousted four governments in 50 years.

The new legislation, allowing civilian prosecution of military pesonnel accused of crimes from threats to national security to attempts to topple the government, would be seen by those who view the generals as bulwarks of secular democracy as a radical attack on their independence.

The army has rejected any link to the "coup document", published in a liberal newspaper. But Erdogan has vowed that civilian authorities will now look into the matter.

An Istanbul court began hearing a separate case last year against a network known as Ergenekon, that is accused of planning bomb attacks and assassinations to trigger an army takeover. Several retired and serving officers have been detained but the General Staff denies any link with Ergenekon.