Turkish president offers rewrite of internal service law

Article 35 of the Turkish Armed Forces’ internal service law – which is often criticized because it has been used as the basis for military coups – should be rewritten,” Turkish President Abdullah Gül said yesterday, Hurriyet Daily News reports. 

The article has been interpreted wrongly in Turkish history, and still needs clarification, Gül said.

“Laws need to be clear. Article 35 should be rewritten from scratch,” Gül was quoted as saying by Turkish papers.

Article 35 of the internal service law reads: “The duty of the Turkish Armed Forces is to watch over and protect the Turkish homeland and the Turkish Republic as designated by the Constitution.”