Authorities investigate allegations of nuclear material in crashed plane

An investigation into a private plane that crashed after taking off from Trabzon on Turkey's Black Sea coast en route to neighboring Iran is ongoing and a series of allegations, including that the aircraft was carrying nuclear materials, are under examination, the interior minister said Wednesday.

Rescue teams located on Tuesday the wreckage of the two-seat private plane in a mountainous area about 50 kilometers southeast of Trabzon in the Black Sea region.

"Judicial authorities are in charge of the matter. Relevant authorities are assessing it," Interior Minister Osman Güneş told reporters, when asked to comment on allegations that the two-seat plane had been carrying nuclear materials. "No information has yet been submitted to us." Asked whether the two people on board -- a British pilot and a Pakistani national, who reports said was a retired general -- were being watched, he said "yes."

The British-registered Sky Arrow 650T plane went missing on Sunday and its wreckage was located on Tuesday in a mountainous area about 50 kilometers southeast of Trabzon. The Transportation Ministry said the plane had set out from Ankara Thursday and landed at Trabzon for refueling. It was forced to wait until Sunday to resume its flight due to adverse weather conditions. A land and airborne rescue operation was launched after Turkish authorities were informed by officials in Tabriz that the aircraft had not landed at the city as intended.

The crash of the plane has roused suspicions about the identity of its passengers and the purpose of its flight from Trabzon to Iran. There was speculation that the people on board, British citizen Michael Newman and Pakistani B. Bhangoo, were intelligence agents. Authorities have said every aspect of the incident was being investigated. Feeding suspicions, the two men had dared a risky flight with a small plane above the mountainous area, instead of taking a scheduled flight.

The pair stayed in a small hotel in Trabzon, whose manager told reporters after the accident that police and officials from the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) had frequently come to the hotel to ask questions about them. One speculation is that MİT was keeping a close eye on Newman and Bhangoo as part of efforts coordinated with the CIA to stem nuclear technology transfer to Iran, which the West suspects is trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability. According to speculation Bhangoo might have been carrying chips containing nuclear know-how and materials that could be used in nuclear weapons production.

The cause of the crash also remains a mystery. Newspaper reports said Wednesday that the high-quality fuel that planes of that type should use was not available in Trabzon and that the fuel obtained there might have caused the plane to crash during the trip.

"These are all under investigation now," said Trabzon Governor Nuri Okutan in response to questions about the possible role of low-quality fuel in the crash. "These are technical issues and my comment would not be appropriate." The fate of the bodies of the two men will be determined after Turkish authorities discuss the matter with officials at the relevant embassies, Okutan also said.

Masses protest against Turkish candidate

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer

ISTANBUL, Turkey - At least 700,000 people marched Sunday in a massive protest against the possible election of an observant Muslim as president, a conflict that is pitting Turkey's religiously oriented ruling party against the deeply secular military and civilian establishment.

Waving the country's red flag and singing nationalist songs, demonstrators in Istanbul demanded the resignation of the pro-Islamic government, calling Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a traitor. Erdogan's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, is widely expected to win the presidential election by the country's 550-seat parliament.

"We don't want a covered woman in Ataturk's presidential palace," protester Ayse Bari, a 67-year-old housewife, said in reference to Gul's wife Hayrunisaah who wears the Muslim headscarf. "We want civilized, modern people there."

The election has reignited a conflict over Turkey's national identity that has brewed since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, an army officer in World War I, founded the secular republic after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He gave the vote to women, restricted Islamic dress and replaced the Arabic script with the Roman alphabet.

But Islam remained potent at the grassroots level, and some leaders with a religious background have portrayed themselves as an alternative to the secular establishment.

Many, including powerful generals, fear Gul would use the presidency — a post with veto power over legislation — to assist his ally, Erdogan, in chipping away at the separation of state and religion. For example, secularists want to preserve a ban on Islamic headscarves in government offices and other public places; Gul's wife once appealed to the European Court of Human Rights for the right to wear the scarf to a university.

The military hinted it may step in to resolve the deadlock over Gul in parliament. And many Turks are calling for early elections in the hope of replacing the parliament, which is dominated by Gul's pro-Islamic ruling party.

"Turkey is secular and will remain secular!" shouted thousands of protesters, many of whom traveled to Istanbul from across the country overnight.

Turkish police estimated their numbers at about 700,000 and cordoned off the protest area, conducting searches at several entry points.

More than 300,000 took part in a similar rally in the capital Ankara two weeks ago.

"This government is the enemy of Ataturk," said 63-year-old Ahmet Yurdakul, a retired government employee among the demonstrators on Sunday. "It wants to drag Turkey to the dark ages."

On Friday, Gul failed to win a first round of voting in parliament after opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote. The opposition then appealed to the Constitutional Court to annul the result on grounds that there was not a quorum present at the time of the vote. That night, the military threatened to intervene in the election and warned the government to curb Islamic influences.

"It should not be forgotten that the Turkish armed forces is one of the sides in this debate and the absolute defender of secularism," the military said in a statement. "When necessary, they will display its stance and attitudes very clearly. No one should doubt that."

A day later, the government, showing confidence unknown in past civilian administrations, rebuked the military and said it was "unthinkable" for the institution to challenge its political leaders in a democracy.

But Gul was not swayed by the threat.

"It is out of the question to withdraw my candidacy," he said Sunday.

The current president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, is a strong secularist who acted as a check on the pro-Islamic government.

A decade ago, the Turkish military sent tanks into the streets in a campaign that forced the pro-Islamic prime minister to resign. Now Turks are wondering again how far the armed forces will go to settle another power struggle between their government and the secular establishment.

The military's threat to intervene in a disputed election could also damage Turkey's troubled efforts to join the European Union, which has urged the Muslim nation to reduce the political influence of the army.

"We hope that one day Turkey can join the European Union, but for that, Turkey has to be a real European country, in economic and political terms," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on CNN's "Late Edition."

Much has changed since Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan resigned on July 18, 1997, ceding power to a pro-Western coalition partner in what was labeled a "soft" coup. Under the current government, Turkey has reined in inflation and implemented reforms backed by the EU.

These ingredients, signs of a maturing democracy, suggest the military would be very reluctant to topple the elected government of Erdogan, a drastic step that could represent a return to a chaotic, polarized era that most Turks would rather forget. Yet, if it feels pushed, few doubt that the military will challenge the politicians.

The court's ruling on whether a quorum was present at the vote on Friday is expected soon. A ruling for the government could lead to a second round of voting on Wednesday. Gul is the only candidate and is expected to prevail by a third round planned for May 9. A ruling for the opposition would stop the vote, possibly leading to early general elections.

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Associated Press writers Benjamin Harvey in Istanbul and Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara contributed to this report.

Turkey 'must have secular leader'

Abdullah Gul is expected to be elected president

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has pledged to adhere to secular principles if, as expected, he is elected president.

PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that Mr Gul had been named the governing AK party's candidate.

The decision came after thousands had taken to the streets to urge Mr Erdogan not to stand.

Secularists fear that a president from the AK - a party with Islamist roots - could undermine Turkey's secular order.

Mr Gul insisted that "the president must be loyal to secular principles", adding: "If I am elected I will act accordingly".

Both Mr Erdogan and Mr Gul have wives who wear the Islamic headscarf - a highly divisive issue in Turkey.

Mr Gul (right) was cheered in the AK-dominated parliament Analysis: Tense election

Mr Gul defended the headscarf choice on Tuesday, saying "these are individual preferences and everybody should respect them".

Parliament will hold the first round of voting on Friday and the AK's majority means its candidate is likely to win.

Turkey has been a republic since 1923, with a strict separation of religion and the state.

The AK party has its roots in political Islam.

But correspondents say that Mr Gul is seen as less confrontational than Mr Erdogan.

Establishment pressure

Turkey's chief of staff, Gen Yasar Buyukanit, and outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer have urged the new president to defend Turkey's secular values.

Speaking to the AK group in parliament, Mr Erdogan said Mr Gul was "the person who emerged at the end of our evaluations as the candidate to become Turkey's 11th president".

There will be several rounds of voting in the 550-member parliament before the new head of state takes office on 16 May.

Mr Gul, 56, has steered Turkey's European Union accession talks since becoming foreign minister in 2003.

He had a brief spell as prime minister after the AK party's election victory in November 2002.

Educated in England as well as Turkey, he is an English speaker and is regarded as a moderate, the BBC's Pam O'Toole reports.