STRASBOURG - Turkey's military should keep out of politics and not seek to influence the election of the country's new president, the Council of Europe's secretary general said Sunday.
"They should stay in their barracks and keep out of politics," Terry Davis said in a statement, saying he was "shocked" by the military's recent actions.
Davis's comments came as more than a million Turks rallied on Sunday in support of secular democracy amid an unprecedented stand-off between the Islamist-rooted government and the army.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a former Islamist and the sole candidate in the race to become president, has ruled out withdrawing his bid, defying the army's threat of intervention.
The army, which has toppled four governments in as many decades, has said it was determined to protect the secular system and take action if the need arose.
"I am very concerned about the recent public statement by the Turkish military," said Davis. "This statement looks like a deliberate attempt by the armed forces to influence the election of a new president in Turkey."
The prospect of Gul becoming head of state has alarmed secularists who fear the strict separation of state and religion will be eroded and Islam will creep into all fields of life.
Davis called on political parties to "take a clear stand against interference by the armed forces in the political process."
The Council of Europe groups 46 member states, including Turkey.
04/29/2007 17:54 GMT