Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed Friday that his Islamic-rooted government was open to "democratic demands" and hit back at EU criticism of his handling of a week of deadly unrest.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed Friday that his Islamic-rooted government was open to "democratic demands" and hit back at EU criticism of his handling of a week of deadly unrest.
Amid international condemnation over rights abuses in the unrest, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule told Erdogan that excessive police force "has no place" in a democracy and urged a "swift and transparent" probe into the abuses in Turkey, a longtime EU hopeful.
In response, Erdogan said he was against violence and accused European allies of what he called ‘double standards.’
"In any European country, whenever there is a violent protest against a demolition project like this, believe me, those involved face a harsher response," he said at an Istanbul conference attended by the EU official.
Turkey's protests began when police cracked down heavily on a peaceful campaign to save Istanbul's Gezi Park, spiraling into nationwide anti-government demos.
Thousands of cheering supporters of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) welcomed the premier back from an overseas trip in the early hours, their first public show of strength since the anti-government trouble erupted.
In a rousing speech at the airport, Erdogan called for "an immediate end to the demonstrations" and hinted that he would act against further defiance.
Undeterred, protesters waving banners and blowing whistles continued to pack Istanbul's Taksim Square, the epicenter of the protests, for an eighth day.
Turkey's key strategic ally the United States and other Western powers have expressed concern about the police's use of tear gas and water cannon on the demonstrators, in clashes that have injured thousands and led to three deaths.
On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined calls for the Turkish government to renounce violence, saying she was "counting on the fact that these problems will be discussed with the youth of the country".
But in a reassuring sign for Turkey's reputation on the international stage, the European Union's Fule, speaking at the same conference as Erdogan, said the EU was sticking by the country's bid to join the bloc.
The nationwide unrest has so far left three people dead -- two young protesters and a policeman, according to officials and doctors.
