Middle East Today: Turkey --- Uncertainty as Prime Minister Erdogan Returns to Ankara

Tear Gas in Ankara on Wednesday (Photo: AFP)Tear Gas in Ankara Square on Wednesday

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PM Erdogan Stands Firm Over Gezi Park

Defying protesters, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stood firm on the re-development of Istanbul's Gezi Park --- he said the construction of a replica Ottoman-era military barracks, housing a shopping mall, will go ahead.

Erdogan spoke from Tunisia during his tour of North African countries.

Talks Between Deputy PM and Protesters Fail to Bring Advance

With Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on tour in North Africa on Wednesday, the political spotlight turned to his deputy, Bülent Arınç, as he met with representatives of the protesters in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Arınç met members of the Taksim Platform, who started the current wave of demonstrations with a challenge to the Government's plans to re-develop Gezi Park in Istanbul. The police attempt to quell the protests last Friday, with tear gas and water cannons, only succeeded in spreading them across the country. Three people have been killed and almost 2000 wounded in clashes.

Wednesday's discussion between Arınç and the Taksim Platform offered little resolution. The protesters set out their demands:

No construction in Gezi Park;
No demolition of the Atatürk Culture Center;
Investigation of police actions, with those who committed or authorised violence --- including the governors and police chiefs of Istanbul, Ankara, and Hatay Province --- to be dismissed;
Ban on the use of tear gas and pepper spray;
Freeing of all protesters from detention;
No restrictions on freedom of assembly in public spaces, including Taksim Square and Ankara's Kızılay Square.

According to participants in the meeting, Arınç said the initial protests were "righteous"; however, he did not offer an apology for police action and called for an end to the demonstrations.

In response to the protesters' demand for "binding promises", the Deputy Prime Minister said only that the Government would discuss the matters.

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Update: Turkish Protesters Detained For Tweeting Are Released

An update on our earlier post regarding the Turkish protesters arrested on suspicion of using social media to incite people to join the ongoing demonstrations --- Al Jazeera reports that the Turkish authorities have now released those arrested.

The Guardian reported that 25 people were originally detained on suspicion of spreading misinformation. According to Al Jazeera on Thursday, the police have released 34 people.

Tunisia: Bomb Kills 2 Soldiers  

A roadside bomb targeting a Tunisian army vehicle has killed two soldiers and wounded two others in Mount Chaambi, near the border with Algeria.

Since the end of April, about 20 soldiers and members of the security forces have been wounded by mine explosions blamed on insurgents.

 

The Ministry of Interior said last week that members of the Salafist group Ansar al-Sharia are among the insurgents tracked by the military in the western region.

Ansar al-Sharia has denied any link to the groups being sought.

Egypt: Court Gives Details of Sentences on 43 Staff of NGOs

The Cairo Criminal Court has released details of its sentencing of 43 staff of non-governmental organisations, on charges of illegally operating in Egypt and receiving foreign funding without permission. The court on Tuesday sentenced 27 defendants tried in absentia, including 15 US citizens, to five-year jail sentences. Eleven defendants received one-year suspended sentences, and five --- three Egyptians, a German, and an American --- received two-year sentences.

The ruling criticized foreign funding as a new form of "control, predominance and soft imperialism practiced by donors to destabilize, weaken, and dismantle beneficiary countries".

It specifically said the US or any pro-Zionist country works against democracy in Egypt:

"History shows that such countries hold the entrenched belief that their interests are best served by totalitarian dictatorships and harmed by genuine democracies....(The aim is to) undermine Egypt's national security and lay out a sectarian, political map that serves US and Israeli interests."

The court continued, "The US --- fearing democracy ushered in by Egypt's popular revolt --- has used funding to take the revolution off its path."

Turkey: 25 Arrested Over Social Media Use

Police in the Turkish city of Izmir have arrested 25 people on suspicion of using Twitter and other social media to incite anti-government sentiment, The Guardian reports.

A police spokesman told Turkey's state news agency that the suspects had been arrested for "spreading untrue information" and for inciting people to join in the protests.

Turkey: 25 Arrested Over Social Media Use

While relative calm continued in Istanbul's Taksim Square on Wednesday, police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters in centre of Ankara in the afternoon.

Many in Kizlilay Square were members of unions who have called for a strike in solidarity with the demonstrations.