Turkish greased wrestlers compete during the 648th historical Kirkpinar oil-wrestling tournament, held every year in Sarayici, near Edirne, western Turkey, yesterday. In Kirkpinar wrestling, contestants, stripped to the waist and wearing specially designed leather trousers, are drenched in olive oil from head to toe. The one-on-one contests staged every summer closely resemble those first held nearly 650 years ago.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s armed forces have said a law under which army personnel will be tried in civilian courts rather than in military ones in peacetime is unconstitutional and they have told the president so, media reported yesterday.

The legislation, aimed at meeting European Union membership criteria, has fueled tensions between the powerful secularist military and the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in predominantly Muslim Turkey.

“Politics will enter the barracks,” said a front-page headline in the liberal Milliyet newspaper, which detailed the military General Staff’s objections to the law, which has yet to be approved by President Abdullah Gul.

The army, the second biggest in NATO, has ousted four Turkish governments in 50 years and regards itself as the guardian of the country’s secular system. However, its power has been reined in by democratic reforms in recent years.

According to the military, the law infringes the inviolability of military areas and will lead to clashes between the military and civilian judiciary.

The military also voiced concern at the way the legislation was passed by parliament in a late-night session at the end of June after Defense Ministry officials had left the assembly.

The articles, also published in the Radikal newspaper, did not specify any source.

There was no statement from the military on its website.

President Gul has been consulting with the government, military and judiciary on the law before deciding whether to approve it ahead of a July 10 deadline. If he does not, he can send the legislation back to parliament for further debate.

“In this case, some circles close to the government may object that democratization steps are being obstructed,” said Radikal columnist Murat Yetkin, adding that a new formula may then emerge in September or October.

The legislation requires that civilian courts try members of the armed forces who are accused of crimes including threats to national security, constitutional violations, organizing armed groups and attempts to topple the government.

Rivalry between the military and the government was revived last month by an alleged plot by the armed forces to undermine the government. The armed forces head has said the allegations were part of a smear campaign aimed at dividing the military. A military prosecutor has ruled there was insufficient evidence for an investigation, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that civilian prosecutors will take over the probe.

Turkish courts are currently hearing a case against the alleged right-wing Ergenekon network, which is accused of plotting a coup. Retired and serving military officers have been detained as part of the investigation.