"Turkey needs peace and quiet. It does not need clashes but solidarity between state institutions," Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, a senior member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), told the NTV news channel.

The AKP, the offspring of a banned Islamist movement which came to power last November, says members had broken with their past, but many here believe the party still harbors a secret Islamist agenda.

Turkey's top generals, along with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), all staunch supporters of secularism -- boycotted a reception hosted by Arinc on Wednesday evening to mark the 83th anniversary of the parliament's establishment.

Arinc's wife -- who wears the headscarf -- had been scheduled to co-host the gathering.

She decided not to take part so as not to antagonize the pro-secular establishment which sees the wearing of the veil at public functions as a declaration of support for political Islam. But the wives of several other MPs turned up wearing headscarves.

"We have to overcome this issue... We have to ensure that those who want to turn tensions into a crisis are left empty-handed," Arinc said.

Some observers suggested that the boycott was not only a protest over the headscarf, but a warning that the army and president were unhappy with government policies.

The AKP has recently come under criticism for asking Turkish embassies to support an expatriate Islamist grouping long suspected of promoting extremism.

The government has also been criticized for allegedly appointing pro-Islamist cronies to government office.

The military, the self-declared guardian of secularism in the Muslim nation, is watching to see if the AKP, is tempted to deviate from secularism.

Only six years ago, the army forced Turkey's first Islamist Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to step down after his rhetoric and policies sparked fears for the secular system.

SPACE.WIRE