New mechanisms in fight against 'parallel structure'

A coordination meeting on the fight against the "parallel structure" (The Gülen Movement) was held on March 30, presided over by Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu and with the participation of the interior, justice and finance ministers, as well as the head of the National Intelligence Organization (M?T).

The fight against the "parallel structure" has so far been conducted through the personal efforts of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. With the March 30 coordination meeting, the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) government has for the first time has taken an initiative in this struggle. In the meeting there was an overview of what had been done so far and that overview revealed two shortcomings:

1) The lack of coordination with "parallel structure" elements is directly affecting the judicial process. 

2) Members of the "parallel structure" have not been sufficiently purged from the security services and the judiciary due to the special provisions about judges and prosecutors in the state personnel law. Meanwhile, there have been many changes in their positions, leading to the intelligence leakage of critical operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

President Erdo?an raised this issue recently, saying: "The reason for the rise in the number of fallen soldiers stems from the police and soldiers close to the parallel structure. There is intelligence vulnerability because of the members of this structure."

In the meeting headed by the prime minister on March 30 a number of examples were put on table, like the incidents in the Ba?lar neighborhood of Diyarbak?r. Details of the operation in Ba?lar were leaked before it was conducted. Some 57 members of the PKK who were supposed to be caught unaware in...