http://ca.news.yahoo.com/turkey-protesters-pm-vows-respect-courts-park-plans-020142487.html
Erdogan makes conciliatory move to end Turkish protests
By Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters – 31 minutes agoRELATED CONTENT
- Protesters light candles in memory of victims of the recent violent anti-government …
By Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk
ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told protesters on Friday he would put redevelopment plans for an Istanbul park on hold until a court rules, striking a markedly more conciliatory tone after two weeks of fierce anti-government demonstrations.
Financial markets rose on hopes that environmentalists who oppose the construction on Gezi Park would be satisfied, but it remained unclear whether other protesters with a wide variety of grievances against Erdogan would go home.
Erdogan's gesture at an overnight meeting was largely symbolic as the government is required by law to respect the court decision on an action brought by the environmentalists trying to block the plan.
However, it contrasted with Erdogan's earlier defiance when he attacked protesters on Taksim Square who accuse him of autocratic behaviour, and insisted the redevelopment would go ahead in the adjacent park.
"Of course the government respects judicial rulings and is obliged to implement them," said Huseyin Celik, deputy chairman of the ruling AK Party who also attended in the talks. "Until the judicial ruling is finalised there will not be any action whatsoever on Gezi Park."
A police crackdown on peaceful campaigners in the park two weeks ago provoked an unprecedented wave of protest against Erdogan and his AK Party - an association of centrists and conservative religious elements - drawing in secularists, nationalists, professionals, unionists and students.
At the overnight meeting, Erdogan met a delegation made up largely of actors and artists but also including two members of the umbrella protest group Taksim Solidarity - hours after saying his patience had run out and warning protesters occupying Gezi Park to leave.
The delegation welcomed what they said was Erdogan's promise to respect the outcome of the court case filed against the plans to build a replica Ottoman-era barracks. This commitment followed an offer on Wednesday of a referendum on the plans if the court found in the government's favour.
"The prime minister said that if the results of the public vote turned out in a way which would leave this area as a park, they will abide by it," Tayfun Kahraman of the protest group told reporters following the meeting.
"His comments that the project will not be executed until the judiciary makes its decision is tonight's positive result."
Taksim Solidarity said in a subsequent statement the group would decide as a whole what course of action to take after consulting on the meeting, leaving it unclear whether they would continue their protest.
Financial markets, recently under pressure due to the protests and a general sell-off in emerging economies, welcomed the apparent easing of tensions. The lira rose for a third straight day to its level before the protests started, while bond yields dropped and shares rallied 2.7 percent.
Five-year credit default swaps, the cost of insuring Turkish debt against default, fell 12 basis points to 157 bps, according to Markit, their lowest level since June 5, after hitting 10-month highs in the previous session.
Market unease has been deepened by images of police firing tear gas and water cannon day after day in cities including the capital of Ankara, while youths threw stones and petrol bombs in Turkey's worst unrest in years. Three people, including a police officer, died and about 5,000 were injured, according to the Turkish Medical Association.
CAFE TALKS
Celik said the meeting had been positive but he reiterated Erdogan's position that the occupation had to end. "Our government has been very tolerant, as tolerant as it goes in a democracy, but I don't think the government will leave that place under occupation for long," he said.
In Istanbul, the city's governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu said he sensed flexibility among the protesters after holding five hours of talks with them in a cafe by the Bosphorus strait. "We felt they showed sensitivity...and did not have an unyielding stance regarding staying there (in the park)," Mutlu told reporters.
Erdogan has already discussed the plans to build over the park with various people who support the protesters, but had initially refused to meet with Taksim Solidarity, which is at the heart of the campaign to protect it.
Late on Thursday, he appeared to suggest that hundreds of protesters, camped out in a ramshackle settlement of tents in Gezi Park, could be forcibly evicted, although Mutlu said later there were no such immediate plans.
"Our patience is at an end. I am making my warning for the last time. I say to the mothers and fathers, please take your children in hand and bring them out ... Gezi Park does not belong to occupying forces but to the people," Erdogan said.
TAKSIM CALM
Taksim, where police fired teargas and sent thousands scurrying into side streets two nights ago, was crowded but calm overnight. Some of the assembled masses chanted and danced, while others listened to a concert pianist who played through the night amid the protesters as riot police looked on.
The government proposed a referendum on the plans to build on the park, one of the only concessions Erdogan has offered, after he met a group who back the protests on Wednesday.
The United States has voiced concern about reports of excessive use of police force, while the European Parliament warned the government on Thursday against using harsh measures against peaceful protestors and urged Erdogan to take a "unifying and conciliatory" stance.
The comments were not welcomed by Ankara.
"Turkey is not a nation that needs to be taught a lesson in any way on these topics by any country or by any group of countries," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
Erdogan, who has accused foreign forces, international media and market speculators of stoking unrest and trying to undermine the economy, said he would reveal on Friday details of what he called a "game being played with Turkey."
"It is as if the whole of Turkey is on fire, as if the whole of Turkey is collapsing," he said of some media coverage, describing it as "deceptive and unethical."
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/06/13/308851/protesters-refuse-to-leave-istanbul-park/
Turkish protesters reject Erdogan ultimatum to leave Istanbul park
Turkish anti-government protestors gather on Taksim Square in Istanbul. (file photo)
Thu Jun 13, 2013 5:32PM GMT
7
LAST UPDATE
Anti-government protesters in the Turkish city of Istanbul have rejected an ultimatum issued by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to evacuate a park next to the landmark Taksim Square.
On Thursday, demonstrators converged once again on the park despite the stern 24-hour warning to leave the site.
Earlier in the day, Erdogan issued a "last warning" for thousands of protesters to evacuate Gezi Park.
"I'm making my last warning: mothers, fathers please withdraw your kids from there," he said in a live television broadcast.
The death toll from clashes between anti-government protesters and police in Turkey has reached five. The latest victim was a 26-year-old protester who succumbed to injuries he had sustained on June 1.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government has said it is ready to hold a referendum on Gezi Park development project in an attempt to put an end the ongoing protests in the country.
The anti-government unrest began after police broke up a sit-in staged in Taksim Square on May 31 to protest against the demolition of Gezi Park.
The protesters say the park, which is a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations as well as a popular tourist destination, is the city's last green public space.
Amnesty International has censured the Turkish police for the tactics they have used to control the protests.
MP/KA
Turkish PM holds late night meeting with group of protesters, artists
The demonstrators had objected to the suggestion of a referendum for determining the fate of the park, adding that they would remain there until their demands were met. The meeting has started at around 11:30 p.m. June 12 AA photo
Two names from the Taksim Solidarity Platform, Chairman of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers (TMMOB) Eyüp Muhçu and the Spokesperson for the Neighborhood Associations Cem Tuzun are included in this second delegation unlike the first group that met Erdoğan yesterday, which was criticized as lacking representation. The group had been at the centre of the protests since the first day, representing the demonstrators during a first contact meeting with the deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç last week. Other six representatives of unions and non-governmental organizations are taking part in the meeting.
Eight artists, among whom Halit Ergenç, the lead actor from the TV series "Süleyman the Magnificent" and popular singer Sertab Erener, who have been very outspoken in support of the protests, are also among the participants. Poet Sunay Akın, singers Mahsun Kurmızıgül and Yavuz Bingöl, actress Ceyda Düvenci, actor Ali Sunal and producer Nebil Özgentürk also made the trip to Ankara.
Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu reportedly told the delegation that no police intervention would be carried out during the night.
The meeting has started past 11:30 p.m. local time.
‘Very positive’
After the start of the talks, the Taksim Platform said in a public statement that the new meeting that comprised the “legitimate representatives” of the protesters was a hopeful development.
While insisting that the talks constituted a very positive step, the group reiterated however that the threat of a police intervention should be removed in order to healthily assess the solution options.
Following a first meeting on June 12, the government had raised the possibility of organizing a referendum over the demolition of Gezi Park. However the demonstrators had objected to this proposition.
June/13/2013
Gezi Park protests spark crisis in beleaguered EU ties
Prime Minister Erdoğan (R) arrives at a conference hall as EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle looks on, in İstanbul on June 7, 2013. (Photo: AP)
13 June 2013 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rebuffed criticism on Thursday from the European Union over the police crackdown on anti-government protests, further straining relations with the 27-nation bloc that are already in a stalemate due to the slow pace of Turkey's accession process.
He slammed the EU parliamentarians for ignoring police response to G-8 protesters in Britain and Greece, where police and protesters demonstrating against austerity measures have clashed repeatedly over the course of the country's severe economic crisis. “What did the EU authorities do when people and the police confronted each other than giving Greece money?” he asked.
“How can you pass such a decision on Turkey, which isn't even an EU member but a candidate? How dare you?” Erdoğan said to an applauding crowd. He pointed criticism in particular at two European officials, Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle and the leader of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, Hannes Swoboda, for their criticism of the government handling of the protests. “They have this guy in charge of enlargement. He cannot offer a slightest counter argument while with me, but then he tweets. Is this ethical?” he asked, in reference to Füle, who wrote on his Twitter account after attending a conference together with Erdoğan that he was “disappointed by the lost opportunity at the conference to reach out to those calling for respect and inclusive dialogue.”
As for Swoboda, Erdoğan accused the Socialist politician of criticizing his government to make up for slamming Turkey's main opposition leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a few weeks ago. Swoboda refused to meet Kılıçdaroğlu in Brussels when the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader said the only difference between Erdoğan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was in the “degree of authoritarianism.”
Hours before Erdoğan's speech, Swoboda posted another tweet, saying that Erdoğan continues to threaten demonstrators. "But more violence is the last thing Turkey needs now. Dialogue, not riot police!" Swoboda said in the tweet.
‘Banana republic'
Four people, including a policeman, have been killed in the course of the two-week demonstrations, which first began in protest of plans to demolish Gezi Park in Taksim in downtown İstanbul. In its resolution, the European Parliament said it was “deeply concerned at the disproportionate and excessive use of force by Turkish police to break up peaceful and legitimate protests in Istanbul's Gezi Park,” according to a statement from the European Parliament.The parliamentarians warn against the use of harsh measures against peaceful protesters and said Erdoğan must take a unifying and conciliatory position, it added. Those responsible for the police violence must be brought to justice, detained peaceful protesters immediately released and the victims compensated, says the resolution. The resolution also welcomed a conciliatory statement by President Abdullah Gül and apologies to protesters by Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç while deploring “the unwillingness of the Turkish government and Mr. Erdoğan to take steps towards reconciliation, to apologize and to understand the reactions of a segment of the Turkish population.”
Going beyond protests, European parliamentarians also expressed concern about “the deterioration in press freedom, including acts of censorship and growing self-censorship within the Turkish media,” complaining that the mainstream media remained silent about the demonstrations.
Addressing the European Parliament before the vote on the resolution, Füle repeated his criticism and said the government should pursue dialogue with demonstrators. "Any approach based on confrontation and division is a source of even more serious concern, not only for Turkish society, but also for the European Union," he said.
He, however, also urged EU governments reluctant to see progress in the talks to allow the process to speed up. "Considering current events and the importance we all attach to supporting Turkey in its reforms, it would in particular be important to overcome the existing blockages on the EU side," he said.
Addressing the same session of the European Parliament, the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also urged Turkey to investigate cases of excessive force during the Istanbul demonstrations "swiftly and thoroughly."
"We have seen too many examples of excessive police force over the past two weeks -- close range use of tear gas, water cannons, pepper spray, plastic bullets -- against protesters who have been overwhelmingly peaceful," she said. "Those responsible [must be] held accountable."
Responding to European criticism, Egemen Bağış, the minister in charge of EU affairs, accused some European officials and politicians of making “irresponsible” statements and “talking nonsense” for the sake of media attention.
“Some parliamentarians should understand that there is a price to pay for talking this comfortably and daringly about Turkey's internal matters,” he said in a statement. “Turkey is not a banana republic.”
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu also rejected the European Parliament resolution, describing it as “unacceptable” for Turkey. He said no country could teach Turkey a democracy lesson, slamming the European parliamentarians for issuing the resolution that he branded as “one-sided.” Davutoğlu stressed the violence perpetrated by some protesters in the course of demonstrations and accused the resolution of not including that side of the events. He said the resolution portrayed a false image of Turkey “as if only the police used excessive force and that protesters were totally peaceful.”
He described Thursday's resolution and reports of some international media as reflecting an “Orientalist” position. Davutoğlu said if there is any wrong implementation in response to the protests that are not in line with democratic standards, the necessary punitive steps would be taken. He reminded that the authorities have already started inspections and investigation regarding the excessive use of force while quelling the protests.
The foreign minister said Turkey is a country that protects freedom of assembly and other freedoms of democracy and that the country won't allow some circles to picture Turkey as a chaotic state.
Davutoğlu recalled the protests in Frankfurt on June 1, a day after clashes between protesters and police reached a peak in İstanbul and said police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd in an attempt to justify steps police took to clash the protesters.
The foreign minister stated that Turkey will not allow any international body to discuss issues between the Turkish government and its people and that the decision of the EP will be “sent back to them once they submit it to us.” Davutoğlu also dismissed debates that compared the Turkish protests to mass uprisings in Arab nations and said Turkey has everything that the Arabs demand such as democracy, freedoms and free and fair elections. He said Turkey's democracy is as mature as British, German and French democracies and that protests there were caused as a result of the economic crisis. He said Turkish protests started based on environmental concerns, which he said take place in advanced societies.
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