Erdoğan Meets Taksim Solidarity Platform, Vows to Abide by Decision to Suspend Gezi Park’s Demolition

Local Editor

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik on Friday said the government will comply with a court decision that suspended the demolition of Gezi Park.

Moreover, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a surprise meeting for a second consecutive day with a new delegation that comprised members of the Taksim Solidarity Platform, which was at the center of the protests since the first day, as well as eight artists who had been outspoken in their support for the demonstrations.

Members of the Taksim Solidarity Platform expressed their satisfaction with the government's commitment to the court's decision. "We will react positively to this positive stance," said the Taksim Platform's Secretary Tayfun Kahraman.

Furthermore, Çelik said the issue of the use of disproportionate force by police was also discussed during the meeting.

"They asked for sensitivity on this issue. If it is determined [that an officer] has committed a crime, he will be punished as foreseen by the law," he said.

Erdoğan had held the talks hours after issuing a "final warning" to demonstrators, demanding the protests end immediately.

The protesters in turn responded by asking for concrete steps to meet their demands, especially regarding the investigation of the security forces responsible for the heavy police crackdowns.

Clashes between police and protesters in the park and nearby Taksim Square have continued for nearly two weeks.

The meeting in the capital, Ankara, was the first time Erdoğan had met protest organizers directly.

Five people have died and thousands have been injured since the protests began in Gezi Park on May 31, spreading to Taksim Square a day later.

Source: News Agencies, edited by website team