Erdogan vows military shake-up as Turkey seeks to assuage critics

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends an interview with Reuters at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, July 21, 2016.

Erdogan's comments to Reuters in an interview - his first since announcing the state of emergency late on July 20 - come as Turkey seeks to assure its citizens and the outside world that the government was not turning its back on democracy and returning to the harsh repression of past regimes.

With authorities cracking down on tens of thousands of people in the judiciary, military, education and civil service sectors after last weekend's failed military coup, a lawmaker from the main opposition party said the state of emergency created "a way of ruling that paves the way for abuse".

Western countries are worried about instability and human rights in the NATO member country that is a key partner with the United States against Islamic State and with the European Union to stem the flow of refugees from Syria.

Speaking to Reuters at his palace in Ankara - which was targeted during the coup attempt - Erdogan underscored the need for a military overhaul after describing what he said were deficiencies in Turkey's intelligence service.

"It is very clear that there were significant gaps and deficiencies in our intelligence, there is no point trying to hide it or deny it. I told it to the head of national intelligence," Erdogan told Reuters.

He said a new coup attempt was possible, but would not be easy, adding "we are more vigilant".

"We cannot afford to be complacent," he said, and the military would have "new blood" soon.

Erdogan also said there was no obstacle to extending the state of emergency beyond the initial three months - a comment likely to spark concern among critics already fearful about the pace of his crackdown. Announced on July 20, the state of emergency will allow the government to take swift measures against supporters of the coup, which left more than 246 people were killed and over 2,000 wounded.

Emergency rule will permit the president and cabinet to bypass parliament in enacting new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary.

Germany called for the measure to be ended as quickly as possible, while an international lawyers' group warned Turkey against using it to subvert the rule of law and human rights, pointing to allegations of torture and ill-treatment of people held in the mass roundup.

The EU, which Turkey is a candidate to join, said it was following the events with concern. Its foreign affairs chief described decisions taken so far in education, media and the judiciary as "unacceptable", an apparent reference to the detentions and dismissals of teachers and judges, bans on travel for academics and the detainment of journalists.

For some Turks, the state of emergency raised fears of a return to the days of martial law after a 1980 military coup, or the height of a Kurdish insurgency in the 1990s when much of the largely Kurdish southeast was under a state of emergency declared by the previous government.

Opposition parties which stood with the authorities against the coup expressed concern that the state of emergency could concentrate too much power in the hands of Erdogan, whose rivals have long accused him of suppressing free speech.

About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or have been placed under investigation since the coup was put down.

Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, who previously worked on Wall Street and is seen as one of the most investor-friendly politicians in the ruling AK Party, took to television, social media and news conferences in a bid to calm nervous financial markets and dispel comparisons with the past.

"The state of emergency in Turkey won't include restrictions on movement, gatherings and free press etc. It isn't martial law of 1990s," he wrote on Twitter. "I'm confident Turkey will come out of this with much stronger democracy, better functioning market economy & enhanced investment climate."