Gul comments on the Ergenekon case

Unresolved high-profile murders, terror groups and criminal gangs have stood in the way of political normalization and stability in crisis-prone Turkey for decades, but an indictment on Ergenekon, a criminal network suspected of plotting a coup against the government, suggests these seemingly unrelated crimes may be far from random. A glance through the 2.455-page indictment, which some say launched the trial of the century, reveals the discomforting possibility that all the dark moments of Turkey's recent history could be the result of a deliberate attempt by a central network to create a state within the state and an alternative establishment aimed at steering politics. "Our country has a bright future. The future will be better," said President Abdullah Gul, when asked yesterday to comment on the Ergenekon case while in his hometown Kayseri. He declined to comment further, saying only that the court will fulfill its duties and make its decision on the case. The indictment, made public on Friday, says that Ergenekon network was behind a series of earth-shattering political assassinations over the past two decades.