A report in Taraf, a small-circulation Turkish liberal daily newspaper, yesterday described an alleged plot hatched in 2003 by military authorities in Turkey to create tensions with Greece by staging the shooting of a Turkish fighter jet.

According to the report, military officials had planned to intensify tensions with Greece in the Aegean as well as in the northern region of Thrace, which has a sizable Muslim community, and had aimed to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and impose martial law.

Greek government officials did not comment on the report yesterday. In Ankara, meanwhile, Turkish government spokesman Cemil Cicek was quoted as saying that it would be wrong to make an assessment before the report’s claims are further investigated.

** This original article was published in Kathimerini Newpaper on January 21, 2010. Click here to see original link in Greek. Click here to see original link in English.