Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Albania, Party allied of DP, a rally pro Erdogan:: We're with you, our great teacher!

Njoftimi i PLSHR


The new of 85 albanian politic party, PLSHRU surprised when we learned that Macedonian Albanians went to a rally in support of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But such a thing would happen in Albania on Wednesday.

The rally has been announced by the party "the New Movement Albania", which is in coalition with the Democratic Party of Sali Berisha.

The rally supporters' trust Besa-leader, Erdogan "will be held at 18:00 on Wednesday on the boulevard" Martyrs of the Nation ".

"You are invited to join us in this event, in defense of justice and fairness in our teachers, great leader, Erdogan," reads the invitation by the President of PLSHR, Edmond Vlashaj.

Just think differently from Macedonia, who here appears unlikely to rally. / 



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Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha: His Way or the Highway

Posted: 06/17/2013 5:21 pm


Prime Minister Sali Berisha's reelection bid centers on building the country's first motorway. But his poor track record in combating corruption and upholding the rule of law has many Western countries, most notably the U.S., wondering if Berisha is taking Albania down the wrong road.
While Albanians are trying to determine who should be their next leader, with elections later this month, the U.S. government, the historical sacred pillar to Albania's fragile democracy, and many Western countries have increasingly become frustrated with Berisha's dogmatic style of rule. But will international criticism of Berisha sway enough voters in this highly charged and politically polarized environment to oust Berisha and his Democratic Party from power and prevent them, as many believe they will, from manipulating the election results and taking the country down the path of no return?
During the democratic revolution in the early 1990s, Berisha, like many of his former members of the communist party apparatus, changed their red shirts for new colors. Berisha, wrapped himself in the U.S. stars and stripes and his Democratic Party blue, and led his party to victory on the promise to undo the wrong of the communist past, and bring Albania closer to Europe. The promises were short lived. With the world's eyes on the escalating war in neighboring former Yugoslavia, Berisha turned his attention to cementing his power base by clamping down on free speech, beating and imprisoning oppositional party leaders, while legitimizing state sponsored corruption. At the same time he adopted a policy of either "you're with me or against me" and split the country along those lines. All the while he remained the darling of the West, in particular of Washington, for keeping Albania out of the Yugoslavian conflict.
It was only after the country plunged into anarchy following the collapse of State supported pyramid schemes in 1997, that Berisha was forced out of office. Thereafter, many of his adversaries believed Berisha's days as a politician were over. However, he proved to be a master in reinventing himself as a gentler and more tolerant leader by reaching out to the former members of his party whom he had once denounced as spies and traitors, and even had beaten for their opposing views. 2005 marked the return of Berisha to power with the promise of combating corruption and strengthening the rule of law. Eight years later, Berisha might have made nice with his former party adversaries but once again his campaign promises fell short when it came to the country's democratic development.
According to the U.S. State Department 2012 Human Rights Report on Albania, "pervasive corruption in all branches of government, and particularly within the judicial system, remained a serious problem."
To the surprise of many, Berisha, who is infamous for his outbursts against critics, has held his tongue against the U.S. government and instead reserved his spoiled child-like behavior for the U.S. Ambassadors in Tirana. While questioning Berisha's manipulation of the courts last year, the current U.S. Ambassador to Albania, Alexander Arvizu, was spared from a Berisha diatribe. Instead, as he learned at a public meeting, Bersha decided to punish the Ambassador by not talking to him. U.S. Ambassador John Withers, Ambassador Arvizu's predecessor, fared no better. Criticizing Berisha for pressuring the courts to rule in favor of his cronies, Berisha falsely accused the Ambassador of personalizing the issue. In the past few years, Withers has become an outspoken critic of the Berisha government's increasing authoritarianism.
In a recent interview with VoA, Withers noted, "I worry that Albania is not following the path of western democracies... It's going the direction of Ukraine, which uses courts to attack opposition political leaders or to protect friendly political allies. I think it is going the direction of Russia, in which elections are simply not at the international standard that we would require of a full-fledged democracy."
The days when U.S. official's opinion on a candidate or party determined the outcome of the election in Albania may be gone. In less than ten days the Albanian voters will face a fork in the road: either continue down Berisha's autocratic motorway or chose the path that brings Albania a step closer to joining the European family.

Mass Mobilization in Turkey


Christof Lehmann (nsnbc),- After almost three weeks, the mass protests against Turkey´s Prime Minister Erdogan have entered a new phase. Leading members of Erdogan´s Justice and Development Party joined...

Christof Lehmann (nsnbc),- After almost three weeks, the mass protests against Turkey´s Prime Minister Erdogan have entered a new phase. Leading members of Erdogan´s Justice and Development Party joined the rank of protesters who demand that Erdogan has to step down. Turkey´s Trade Unions and Professional Chambers are on strike today and discuss a general strike.

The protests are no longer a strive between AKP and opposition parties, but broad, popular mass protests against a Prime Minister, whose autocratic leadership style, defiance and inability to tolerate criticism, and whose brutal use of police forces against his people, has thrown Turkey on the path toward revolt. Yesterday Turkey, the people of Turkey entered a new phase of mass mobilization.

Police forces in Istanbul held Taksim Square after protesters were dispersed in a police operation, about which eyewitnesses report, that it was not only a miracle, but due to the protesters solidarity, that the mass panic caused by police brutality did not result in scores of dead and injured. All entrances to Taksim Square are guarded by police.

Many fleeing protesters found shelter in the Divan Hotel, near Taksim Square, where hotel employees had organized an infirmary for injured protesters and those, who needed treatment for the effects of pepper-spray and tear gas.

Protesters to “be treated as terrorists”. Egemen Bagis, Turkey´s Minister of State and Chief E.U. negotiator appeared on live TV and stated:
    “From now on, those who appear at Taksim Square will be treated as terrorists”.
Defying the threats, thousands were trying to reach Taksim Square, ending in a situation, where one must guess whether the police is holding Taksim Square, or whether protesters are preparing to lay a siege on the police forces.

Throughout the day, police crack-downs continued in the Harbiye, Besiktas and Okmeydani districts of Istanbul. In an attempt to limit protesters movements, the police has closed the ferry port in Besiktas. The ferry connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. Closing the ferry route is, as if the Erdogan administration is preparing for a siege. In the evening, public meetings were planned for more than thirty cities.

In Ankara, thousands took part in the funeral ceremony for Ethem Sarisuluk. Sarisuluk was killed, when he was shot in the head by a police man, days ago. Police intervened and cracked down on the morning protesters with teargas, water-cannons and batons.

In Hatay, protesters formed a 25 km long human chain to mourn Abdullah Comert who died when a civilian vehicle drove into masses of protesters during the first days of the protests.

In the evening hours, protests were held in every major city throughout Turkey. A news bulletin from the Workers´Party – Turkey informs about arrests. In Istanbul the protests and clashes between protesters and police continued throughout the night. 45 protesters in Istanbul and 70 protesters in Ankara were contained.

Turkey´s Trade Unions have called for a strike. DISK, the Confederation of progressive Trade Unions, and KESK, the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions together organize more than 800.000 members. Also joining the strike are Turkey´s professional chambers, the TMMOB, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects and the TTB, the Turkish Medical Association, joined the strike.

Medical workers throughout Turkey became outraged, when Prime Minister Erdogan violated the internationally recognized principle of medical neutrality and threatened to revoke the licenses of medical doctors who were helping injured protesters.

The the Trade Union Confederations are currently discussing, if, when, or under which circumstances they should call for a nationwide, general strike which effectively would grind the entire nation to a halt. The confederations also announced that they would organize demonstrations in Istanbul.

Counter Demonstrations, False Accusations, and Card Carrying AKP Thugs. Under the supervision of Prime Minister R. Tayyip Erdogan and against the protest of leading AKP members, Erdogan began organizing “counter demonstrations”. Not many took part, but the counter demonstrations were an impressive display of card-carrying AKP thugs and desperate lies in an attempt to discredit the mass protests.

As he did over the past days, Prime Minister Erdogan again accused protesters of “drinking alcohol in mosques”. Erdogan also lashed out against some of Turkey´s corporations without being specific. Erdogan stressed the economic success of his government and criticized the foreign press. Particularly one statement caused amusement among protesters, when Erdogan apparently contradicted himself. In prior statements, Erdogan declared that religion would unite the people, saying:

    “I stomp on every form of nationalism”.

In his speech yesterday however, he said:

    “We are one, we are together, we are all the Turkish nation”.

The Turkish nation however, along with leading members of his own party, all opposition parties, the Turkey´s professional chambers and Trade Unions, is on strike today.

Moreover, they are considering a general strike, against Prime Minister R. Tayyip Erdogan who refuses to step down and let the Turkish nation decide whether it will re-elect him.

It seems as if Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeing himself as “we” and that he is enforcing “our” will, with ever more desperate means and measures.

On Sunday night, card-carrying, AKP-flag-waving party thugs, armed with batons, went on manhunt in the Beyogly district. The thugs attacked the office of the CHP, one of Turkey´s opposition parties and broke the windows of the party building. Later on, during the night, AKP flag waving thugs were observed behind police barricades.

The words of the vice-chairman of the Workers´Party – Turkey, Hasan Basri Özbey come to mind:

 You cannot silence a nation with pepper spray, tear gas and riot control vehicles. Erdogan did not understand that yet. We are warning Tayyip Erdogan, withdraw the police from Taksim immediately, recognize all demands of the people and surrender to the Turkish nation”.

Erdogan´s greatest problems, maybe Turkey´s greatest problem may be, that Erdogan sincerely believes, he “is” the Turkish nation. Unless the AKP leadership forces Erdogan to change course, or until they will be removed along with Erdogan, Turkey may be heading for a general strike and a protracted stand-down between “We, Recep Tayyip Erdogan” and “We The People“.

Monday, June 17, 2013


Greece TV: Samaras in crisis talks with allies
2 minutes ago

The closure of ERT caused widespread outrage
The Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, is holding crisis talks with coalition allies over his decision to shut down the national broadcaster.

The conservative leader's junior partners in government were furious about the sudden decision last week.

Mr Samaras accused ERT of corruption and waste, as the country struggles to pay its huge debts.

Greece's top appeals court is also meeting to rule on whether or not the closure was legal.

As the emergency talks began, the main opposition party Syriza held a rally in Athens' Syntagma Square to demand early elections.

ERT's screens have gone from black to showing colour bars and the name of the new-look broadcaster proposed by the government, Nerit, now features in channel searches.

If the court comes out against the closure of ERT, the prime minister will face pressure to row back, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen from the capital, Athens.

Mr Samaras says a new, leaner, cheaper broadcaster will be established within weeks and he has proposed hiring a small team to produce news programmes in the interim.

But this idea has been rejected by his coalition partners, who demand that the ERT signal be restored.

If no deal is reached, the government could fall and Greece could slide into fresh elections, plunging the eurozone back into chaos, our correspondent says.

However this is unlikely, given that the two smaller coalition parties have poor poll ratings and so are reluctant to face another electoral test, he adds.

Bosnia's Federation entity "paralyzed"

SARAJEVO -- Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (FBiH) Fehim Škaljić says that the entity is "completely paralyzed."
A view of Sarajevo (sxc.hu, stock)
A view of Sarajevo (sxc.hu, stock)
This produces discontent, he told the Banja Luka daily Nezavisne Novine.
The Muslim (Bosniak)-Croat entity is one of Bosnia's two post-war entities, the other being the Serb Republic (RS).

According to Škaljić, the Federation is threatened by economic collapse and requires urgent reforms to forestall damage with devastating consequences.

"The result of the overall events since 1996 has been a deadlock of institutions, rising unemployment, poverty, the strengthening of political and other dominance of the oligarchy and corruption and crime. It produces resentment and causes reactions where dissatisfaction is expressed through demonstrations," he observed.

According to this official, the Federation is "completely paralyzed."

"Quite simply, the system has been devastated, so that the parliamentary majority has no chance to form a government and subjects that can resolve this situation - the president of the Federation and the vice-presidents - are not doing what they have to do. The result is that we have a government that does not have the support of parliament, that is spending public funds, and is in addition divided, blaming one another," added Škaljić.

He pointed out that changes to the Constitution of the FBiH were "not primarily a political issue," and that this was an argument in favor of taking measures to prevent economic collapse.

"Without that, we will not get far. We recently took out a loan from the International Monetary Fund in order to pay an existing loan, all revenues are decreasing, we are not cutting down on spending, while next year we'll be looking at almost 1.3 billion in credit obligations. All this is a realistic framework to be concerned," Škaljić was quoted as saying.

Reports in Syria: Israel attacked another airport

Opposition sources say massive blast at military airport near Damascus result of Israeli airstrike; Assad says rebels behind attack
Roi Kais
Published: 06.17.13, 17:30 / Israel News
News outlets affiliated with the Syrian opposition estimated that a massive explosion heard Sunday night at the Al-Maza military airport west of Damascus area was the result of an Israeli attack.

The reports quoted opposition activists as saying that the blast at the Al-Maza neighborhood bore the hallmarks of an explosion that rocked the outskirts of Damascus in May. Foreign news agencies said that explosion was part of an Israeli airstrike.
Related stories:

"My house overlooks the airport. At a certain point we saw armored vehicles enter the airport," an opposition source said. "They were probably equipped with mobile radar systems. Then we heard the sound of a missile striking the vehicles. It was the same sound we heard in Mount Qasioun (site of the alleged airstrike in May)."

Another eyewitness said: "The explosion was like a volcano. The flames reached the sky. The sound was the same one that was heard in Qasioun."


Various reports published Sunday night said the explosion in Al-Maza occurred when rebels detonated two car bombs. The Syrian regime said it was an attempt by "terrorists" to attack the military airport.
According to foreign reports, Israel attacked Syria twice within a few days in the beginning of May. President Bashar Assad's regime claims the airstrikes targeted a military research center, but the West believes Israel targeted Iranian weapons systems that were designated for Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since then, senior Syrian officials said the country would retaliate immediately in case Israel attacks again.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Albania, to the new urban  chaos

After Berisha, Rama declare to the promises in the electoral campaign:  No tax for legalization

Rama: No tax for legalization

The Socialist Party leader, Edi Rama, has publicly challenged the Albanian Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, to prove with facts what he is saying in his electoral meetings, that Rama has called the people coming from the north with the term “cavemen”.

“If there is any archive of radios and televisions showing me using this term, I will not only quit politics today, but I will even leave Albania. If there is no such proof, I have the right to tell to all people from Tropoja and the north, and to anyone else who lives in the north, that this man (Berisha) wants to withhold you with the cave that he has in his mind, by exploiting your scruples, your tradition and your loyalty”, Rama declared.

Rama continued with the introduction of his legalization plan when in power.

“Families will pay nothing for legalization, and this is not an electoral promise. All spending will be on the state. After four years I will be the main responsible if we will still have this situation, and if we will not make a radical change on this process”, Rama declared.

Edi Rama gave detailed explanation about the tax system.

“The honest tax for everyone who is paid by a wage will enter in effect on January 1st 2014. All taxes that will be removed and lowered for agriculture will enter in effect on January 1st 2014. The 10% tax on medicaments will be removed on January 1st 2014. Those who want a bill for this and who say that it is unaffordable, I’m saying that the bill for all of this is equal to half of the money that is robbed from the Albanians through oil taxes”, Rama added.




UK Prepared For War in Syria 2 Years Ago, Reveals French FM

English: French lawyer and politician Français...

By Hellas Frappe

 L'avocat et homme politique français Roland Dumas dans les années 1980. (credit: Wikipedia)
Former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas said that Britain had been preparing gunmen to invade Syria two years before the crisis there flared up in 2011.

During a TV show, dedicated to discussing the war in Syria, Dumas said:
     ”I was in Britain two years ago, and I met British officials, some my friends… they admitted that they were up to something in Syria.
     ”They even asked me to join them in my capacity as a foreign minister, but I declined,” he added.
He indicated that the plan of striking Syria had been prepared in advance long before the 2011 events, adding that the goal was to overthrow the Syrian government that considers Israel an enemy.

Meanwhile, the French magazine “Le Nouvel Observateur” quoted a senior French official as saying that the participation of French Jihadists in Syria is bigger that their involvement in Afghanistan war.

The French magazine said that the French intelligence verified the identities of 270 French nationals who are fighting in Syria, indicating that their return has become a major concern for the French interior ministry.

The magazine said that the number of European "Jihadists" fighting in Syria ranges between 1,500 and 2,000, in addition to hundreds of Tunisians.

dogmaandgeopolitics
Đurić refutes Tahiri's statement about "new plan"



SOURCE: TANJUG
BRUSSELS -- Serbian president's advisor Marko Đurić has denied that a new implementation plan should be drafted to replace the one reached in Brussels last month.



Đutić was reacting to a statement made by Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri.

After four-day talks between the Belgrade and Priština team in Brussels, Đurić told reporters that he heard no such statement and that there is only one agreement implementation plan and working groups in charge of developing the implementation activities on grounds of the plan and not another document.

Tahiri, who is also the head of the Kosovo negotiating team in the Brussels dialogue, stated for the Priština-based Albanian language daily Koha Ditore on Thursday that a new plan on the implementation of the Brussels agreement would be signed next week.

An agreement on management team for the future community of Serb municipalities was reached in Brussels on Friday, after four days of talks between negotiating teams of Belgrade and Priština.

The agreement also covers the procedure of appointment of the head of the regional police, Serbian president's advisor Marko Đurić stated.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Clinton criticizes Obama for cautious approach to Syria

WASHINGTON -- Bill Clinton has criticized Barack Obama for his "cautious" approach to Syria, noting at the same time his own interventionist policy in Bosnia and Kosovo.
(FoNet, file)
(FoNet, file)
The former U.S president spoke during a closed-press event - from which the Politico website nevertheless reported his remarks.
The American public elects presidents and members of Congress “to see down the road and to win," Clinton was quoted as saying.

According to the website, he also "implied that Obama or any president risks looking like a total fool if they listen too closely to opinion polls and act too cautiously," and "used his own decisions on Kosovo and Bosnia as a point of reference."

Opinion polls in the U.S. recently showed that the public there is against their country taking part in the conflict in Syria.

Clinton's remarks came during a question-and-answer session with U.S. Senator John McCain, who is a strong critic of Obama's policy on Syria.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, said the report.

“Nobody is asking for American soldiers in Syria. The only question is now that the Russians, the Iranians and the Hezbollah are in there head over heels, 90 miles to nothing, should we try to do something to try to slow their gains and rebalance the power so that these rebel groups have a decent chance, if they’re supported by a majority of the people, to prevail?" Clinton was quoted as saying.

The website said that Clinton did not call for specific measures to aid the Syrian rebels while McCain urged Obama to enforce a no-fly zone in the country to give rebels a “safe zone” to fight the Assad regime.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Free speech is under attack in Greece



The Guardian, Wednesday 12 June

The sudden decision to close the Greek state television and radio company ERT and dismiss up to 3,000 journalists and technicians is the culmination of a series of attacks on free speech. This symbolic move, as the government put it in a non-paper, means that private interests have used the financial crisis as a pretext to destroy the main source of non-partisan information and cultural programming in Greece. Journalists and media professionals all over the world must resist this act of cultural vandalism.
Professor Costas Douzinas Birkbeck College, Professor Joanna Bourke Birkbeck College, Maria Margaronis The Nation, Dr Dimitris Papanikolaou Oxford University

• TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady (Comment, 3 June) advocates "using EU membership to rebuild and rebalance our economy, tackle the crisis in living standards and give our young people a future". Well, good luck with that. The EU's Eurostat agency reports average youth unemployment at a staggering 23.5% across the 27 EU member states (24% in the 17-member eurozone). All the signs, so familiar to British trade unionists since the 1980s, of a neoliberal economic experiment destroying good-quality jobs and slashing the social wage in a compulsive hunt for global competitiveness, are there. Far from turning their back on austerity policies, the leaders of the EU last week announced a modest extension of the timescale in which France's Socialist government must cut public spending, coupled with a requirement for a wholesale scrapping of French legislation that protects workers from hire-and-fire policies.

The answer to chronic unemployment will not be found in the EU, which binds its members into low-wage and deflationary policies through successive treaties from Maastricht to Lisbon that British governments have signed up to without a referendum. Neither does a EU-US free trade agreement offer a break with these policies, but opens Europe's public services up to US corporations seeking profits from taxpayer funding. The fight against low-wage employment and joblessness requires a fight against EU policies and structures, not collusion in a discredited "European project".
Alex Gordon
Chair, No2EU – Yes to Democracy Trade Union Advisory Group
CBC correspondents released from detention in Turkey
CBC correspondents Sasa Petricic and Derek Stoffel have been released following their detention by police in Turkey amid ongoing protests in the country.

Sasa Petricic and Derek Stoffel had been taken into custody in Istanbul

CBC News
CBC correspondents Sasa Petricic and Derek Stoffel have been released following their detention by police in Turkey amid ongoing protests in the country. (Eric Foss/CBC)

Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index 2013
(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)
CBC reporters Sasa Petricic and Derek Stoffel have been released from detention in Istanbul, Turkey.

The two journalists had been picked up by police earlier on Wednesday while covering ongoing anti-government protests in Istanbul's Taksim Square. The pair had been held all day.

"We're out!" Petricic tweeted.

"Arrested taking pics of city crew removing protester barricade," he tweeted. "Accused [of] impeding road works & resisting arrest."

He also wrote that he spent several hours in a cell with "eight young guys arrested for very frivolous things," included two who were detained while bringing food to protesters.

Stoffel tweeted following his release: "My exclusive 'tour' of the Turkish justice system is over! Thanks for all the kind comments! And very big thanks to all at @CBCNews...the Cdn Foreign Affairs dept. and my new Turkish friends for helping expedite my release! It's late so going to sleep. Night all!"

The release of the two correspondents was due, in part, to some behind-the-scenes work by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and the Turkish Ambassador to Canada, Tuncy Babali.

"Pleased to hear @CBCNews journalists have been released in #Istanbul," Baird tweeted. "Thanks to the Cdn Consul General and the Gov't of Turkey, including Amb. Babali, for their co-operation in this matter."

Earlier, CBC News editor-in-chief Jennifer McGuire said the two correspondents had met with Canadian consular officials in Istanbul, and they spoke to their lawyer in advance of giving statements to police.

The House of Commons unanimously endorsed a motion put forward by MP Bob Rae condemning the arrest of the two Canadian journalists and calling for their release.

Babali had told the CBC he doesn't know why Petricic and Stoffel were detained. The ambassador said he learned of their detention after he was contacted by Baird, who expressed his concern.

Read about the latest protests in Turkey
At around 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, Petricic had tweeted one word: "Arrested."


Stoffel's last tweeted message before his detention included a photo of heavy machinery clearing out barricades erected by protesters near Istanbul's Taksim Square.

The two journalists subsequently sent messages while in police custody that they were OK.

Focal point of protests
Taksim Square has become a focal point for recent anti-government protests, which are shaping up as one of the biggest challenges to the 10-year rule of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Demonstrators say Erdogan is becoming more autocratic and trying to impose religious views on the country, charges that he and his allies deny.

As of Monday night, three people had died and about 5,000 people had been treated for exposure to tear gas or other injuries relating to the demonstrations, according to the Turkish Medical Association.

Reporters Without Borders released a statement on Wednesday saying it was “becoming increasingly concerned about the dangerous climate for journalists covering Turkey’s protest movement.”

In January, the rights group described Turkey as “the world’s biggest prison for journalists” and ranked the country 154th in its 2013 Press Freedom Index.

Turkey & The Muslim Brotherhood: The Uprising Against “Brother Erdogan”



By Hellas Frappe on 12.6.13

In ten days, the crackdown on the anti-Erdogan protests has already claimed three lives and injured 5,000 people. For Thierry Meyssan, the Turkish people are not protesting against Recip Tayyeb Erdogan’s autocratic style, but against his policies; in other words, against the Muslim Brotherhood, of which he is the mentor. What started on Taksim Square is not a color revolution over a new building project, but an uprising that has spread across the entire country; in short, it is a revolution that calls the “Arab Spring” into question.

By Thierry Meyssan
Global Research

The Turkish uprising is rooted in the inconsistencies of the Erdogan government. The latter—after having billed itself as “Muslim Democrat” (based on the “Christian Democratic” model)— suddenly revealed its true nature with the advent of the Arab Spring “color revolutions.”

In terms of domestic and foreign policy, there is a before and after the volte face. The previous stage involved the infiltration of institutions. The aftermath has been characterized by sectarianism. Before, Ahmed Davutoğlu’s theory of “zero problems” with Turkey’s neighbors took center stage. The former Ottoman Empire seemed to be coming out of its slumber and returning to reality. After that, the opposite happened: Turkey fell out with each of her neighbors and went to war against Syria.

The Muslim Brotherhood

Piloting this shift is the Muslim Brotherhood, a secret organization that Erdogan and his team have always been affiliated to, despite their denials. Even if this shift is subsequent to the one involving Qatar—the financier of the Muslim Brotherhood—it bears the same implication: authoritarian regimes that claimed to be foes of Israel suddenly act like close allies.

It is important to remember that the label “Arab Spring” given by the West is a deception to make people believe that the Tunisian and Egyptian governments were overthrown by a mass movement. While there was a popular revolution in Tunisia, its goal was not to change the regime, but to achieve economic and social changes. It was the United States, not the street, that ordered Zinedine el Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak to step down. Then it was NATO that toppled and lynched Muammar al-Gaddafi. And it is again NATO and the GCC that have fueled the attack against Syria.

Across North Africa—with the exception of Algeria—the Muslim Brotherhood have been placed in power by Hillary Clinton. Everywhere, Turkish communications advisors are on board, courtesy of the Erdogan government. Everywhere, “democracy” was a facade which allowed the Brothers to Islamize firms in exchange for embracing the pseudo-liberal capitalism of the United States.

The term “Islamize” reflects the rhetoric employed by the Brothers, not reality. The Brotherhood intends to control the privacy of individuals based on principles which are outside the scope of the Quran. It calls into question the role of women in society and imposes an austere lifestyle without alcohol or cigarettes, and without sex…at least for others.

Over the past ten years, the Brotherhood has stayed under the radar, leaving the transformation of public education in the hands of the sect run by Fethullah Gülen, of which President Abdullah Gül is a member.

Although the Brotherhood flaunts its hatred for the American way of life, it thrives under the protective wing of the Anglo-Americans (UK, USA, Israel) who have always been able to use its violence against those who resisted them. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had appointed to her cabinet her former “body woman,” Huma Abedin (wife of former Zionist Congressman Anthony Weiner), whose mother Saleha Abedin presides the women’s division of the Brotherhood. It was through this channel that Clinton stirred up the Brotherhood.

The Brothers purveyed the ideology of Al-Qaeda, through one of their members: Ayman al-Zawahiri, the organizer President Sadat’s assassination and currently the leader of the terrorist organization. Al-Zawahiri, like Bin Laden, has always been an agent of U.S. services. Although officially listed as a public enemy, from 1997 to 2001 he met regularly with the CIA at the U.S. Embassy in Baku in the context “Operation Gladio B,” as testified by former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds [1].
A progressive dictatorship

During his imprisonment, Erdogan claimed to have broken with the Brothers and to have quit the party. Then, he got himself elected and gradually imposed a dictatorship. He ordered the arrest and incarceration of two thirds of the generals accused of involvement in Gladio, the secret network under U.S. influence. In addition, he put behind bars the highest number of journalists for an individual counry. This fact has been obscured by the Western media, unwilling to criticize a NATO member.

The army is the traditional custodian of Kemalist secularism. However, after the September 11 attacks, senior officers were concerned about the totalitarian drift of the United States, and made contact with their counterparts in Russia and China. To nip these unwelcome initiatives in the bud, certain judges pointedly reminded them about their historical ties with the U.S.

If, like in any other profession, journalists can be rascals, the world’s highest incarceration rate is indicative of a policy: intimidation and repression. With the exception of Ululsal, television turned into an official eulogy, while the press followed the same path.

“Zero problems” with its neighbors

The foreigh policy of Ahmed Davutoğlu was equally laughable. After seeking to tackle the unresolved problems left over from the Ottoman Empire one century earlier, he tried to play Obama against Netanyahu by organizing the Freedom Flotilla to Palestine [2]. However, less than two months after Israel’s act of piracy, he accepted the international commission of inquiry created to cover it up and resumed in secret his collaboration with Tel Aviv.

As a token of the cooperation between the Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda, the Brotherhood had placed on the Marvi Marmara al-Mahdi Hatari, the second in command of Al Qaeda in Libya and a likely British agent [3].

Economic disaster

How did Turkey squander not only a decade of diplomatic efforts to restore its international relations, but also its economic growth? In March 2011, she participated in the NATO operation against Libya, one of its major economic partners. With Libya devastated by the war, Turkey lost its market. At the same time, Ankara embarked on a war against neighboring Syria, with whom a year earlier she had signed a trade liberalization agreement. The impact was swift: the growth in 2010 was 9.2%, in 2012 it fell to 2.2% and continues to fall [4].

Public Relations

The rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood in North Africa went to the Erdogan government’s head. By brandishing his Ottoman imperial ambition, he disconcerted the Arab public to begin with, and then turned the majority of his people against him.

On one hand, the government is funding Fetih 1453—a film that gobbled up an astronomic budget for the country—which is supposed to celebrate the conquest of Constantinople, albeit historically flawed. On the other hand, it attempts to ban the most popular television series in the Middle East, The Sultan’s Harem, because the truth does not project a peaceful image of the Ottomans.

The real reason for the uprising

In the present context, the Western press has focused on specific details: a housing project in Istanbul, ban on late-night sales of alcholol, or statements encouraging population growth. All this is true, but it doesn’t add up to a revolution.

By showing its true nature, the Erdogan government has cut itself off from the population. Only a minority of Sunnis can identify with the backward and hypocritical programme of the Brothers. As it happens, about 50% of Turks are Sunni, 20% Alevi (that is to say Alawites), 20% are Kurds (mostly Sunni), and 10% belong to other minorities. It is statistically clear that the Erdogan government can not hold out against the uprising that its own policies helped to ignite.

By overthrowing him, the Turks would be solving not only their own problems, but would also be putting an end to the war against Syria. I have often pointed out that the war would stop the day one of its foreign sponsors exits the scene. This will soon be the case. Thus, the Turkish people will also halt the Brotherhood’s expansion. Erdogan’s fall foreshadows that of his friends; Ghannouchi in Tunisia and Morsi in Egypt. It is in fact most unlikely that these artificial governments, imposed via rigged elections, can survive their powerful sponsor.

Translation
Gaia Edwards
[1] “Al Qaeda Chief was US Asset,” by Nafeez Ahmed, 21 May 2013.
[2] “Why did Israel attack civilians in the Mediterranean?” and “Freedom Flotilla: The detail that escaped Netanyahu,” by Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, 1 and 8 June 2010.
[3] “Free Syrian Army commanded by Militay Governor of Tripoli,” by Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, 19 December 2011.
[4] “Turkey’s Economic Growth Slows Sharply,” by Emre Perer and Yeliz Candemir, The Wall Sreeet Journal, 1 April 2013.
Albanian Elections, CEC delays technology usage

CEC delays technology usage
12/06/2013 19:35

11 days from the elections, the Central Election Commission has still no answer for the electronic voters’ identification project in Tirana.

While Indra company has been paid most of the 2.6 million EUR fee for this esrvice, the Central Election Commission gives no guarantee that the project will be realized.

The opposition suspects that the process is being intentionally compromised by the Central Election Commission

“I want to hear the Central Election Commission availability to analyze the project and know when the Central Election Commission will introduce the acts for the project confirmation”, declared the Socialist Party representative, Genc Gjoncaj.

“The reports were sent to Indra, and are waiting for the company to give their report, and then we will take a decision”, declared the Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission, Lefteri Lleshi,

The Central Election Commission did not answer to Top Channel’s question about when the reports of the political parties were sent to contracting company. The company says that the Central Election Commission has shown no interest to accelerate the process, leaving unexplained the question why the highest electoral institution delays the reception of a service they have paid for.

The agreement between the Central Election Commission and Indra, a copy of which Top Channel has been able to secure, shows that the test should have been held on April 23rd, but it was held on June 8th.

Besides the delay for almost one month and a half, what raises other questions on the agreement terms is that the Central Election Commission has agreed to pay 90% of the fee until the test is held, leaving only 10% of the agreement for after the elections.

Despite the problems, the political parties believe that the project brings a novelty to the system. If an elector votes more than once, each of the biggest parties can be notified in real time.

This device can also identify a falsified identity card or passport, since it makes the verification of the document.

But if the parties believe that this technology is one step ahead, the position that the Central Election Commission has held remains unexplained, and they have declared the usage of technology in these elections a warned failure.

Serbia claims Kosovo property worth 220 billion dollars


Serbia claims Kosovo amounting property giant, 220 billion dollars.

The news was announced a Serbian daily, close to power.

"Vecernie.Novosti" writes that the only property Serbs left Kosovo goes up to $ 4 billion.

The newspaper alleges that these properties, especially fertile soil, are being sold Albanians.

A Serbian official said even to this day that the alienation of Serb property was recently accelerated

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Greek Inflation Remains Negative For 3rd Consecutive Month




Greek inflation remained negative for the third consecutive month in May, with the inflation rate at -0.4 pct, from -0.6 pct in April according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).



The statistics noted that Greek households continued facing higher prices in basic products such as meat (1.1 pct), fresh fish (1.4 pct), fresh fruit (11.1 pct) and fresh potatoes (27.6 pct).



Heating oil prices jumped 25.1 pct and electricity prices rose 12.3 pct in the month. On the other hand, fresh vegetable prices fell 6.2 pct, olive oil prices eased 1.8 pct and prices in most services continued falling - home appliances by -4.0 pct, cars -4.9 pct, telephone services -5.1 pct, books -3.9 pct, education fees -4.0 pct, house rent -6.1 pct and fuel prices -3.3 pct.



The statistics service said the consumer price index eased 0.2 pct in May, compared with April 2013.



Greece's harmonized inflation rate fell by 0.3 pct in May this year, after dropping by 0.6 pct in April and compared with a rise of 0.9 pct in May 2012. (AMNA)

Putin Warns US Against Imperialism

Russian President Vladimir Putin
21:57 11/06/2013
Tags: Vladimir PutinUnited StatesRussia
MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday cautioned the United States against pursuing an imperialist policy.
“Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, for some time the US became a sole leader, but this turned out to be a kind of an ordeal as the United States started feeling like an empire, and an empire gives rise to certain elements not only in foreign but also in domestic policy,” Putin said in an interview with Russia Today.
The Russian leader said the US leadership now understands that “the main problems of today’s world cannot be resolved alone.”
“An empire cannot allow itself to show weakness. Any attempt to come to an agreement on a parity basis within the country is perceived as weakness, and the country’s leadership cannot allow this on domestic policy grounds,” Putin said.
Putin said Russia and the United States have “practically no ideological contradictions now,” except that the United States’ identity is based on individual ideas and Russia’s focuses on a collective approach.

live.... 

http://rt.com/on-air/istanbul-protest-tear-gas/

 

Turkey protests: PM Erdogan issues stern warning

A protester in Taksim Square tells the BBC's Mark Lowen how tear gas felt like "a panic attack"
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that he will not show "any more tolerance" for protests.
He vowed to end the demonstrations after police firing tear gas cleared Istanbul's Taksim Square, the focal point of unrest for nearly two weeks.
Protesters stayed in the adjoining Gezi Park, returning to Taksim Square before police dispersed them a second time.
The unrest began after a crackdown on an environmental protest over Gezi Park's redevelopment.
The protests then widened, with demonstrators accusing Mr Erdogan's government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.

Greece suspends state broadcaster ERT to save money

ERT building in Athens Greece's state broadcaster has been transmitting programmes for more than 70 years
 
The Greek government has announced that it will shut down the radio and TV services of the state broadcaster ERT.
A government spokesman said transmissions would cease early on Wednesday.
All employees, numbering at least 2,500, will be suspended until the company reopens "as soon as possible."
It is the latest move in successive rafts of spending cuts and tax rises that the government hope will lead the country out of recession.
"ERT is a case of an exceptional lack of transparency and incredible extravagance. This ends now," government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said, according to the AFP news agency.
Unions voiced strong opposition to the move.
An engineer at the broadcaster's multimedia department who gave his name as Yannis said: "The government announced that channels will shut down at midnight - after that the screens will go black.
"According to the government, from tonight I will be unemployed. It is a complete shock. In four hours' time I will not have a job."
ERT is funded by a direct payment by of 4.30 euros (£3.80; $6) added monthly to electricity bills.
The broadcaster runs three domestic TV channels, four national radio stations, as well regional radio stations and an external service, Voice of Greece.
In April, parliament passed a bill which will see 15,000 state employees lose their jobs by the end of next year.
The law was a condition for Greece to receive its next tranche of loans from international lenders worth 8.8bn euros (£7.4bn; $11.4bn).
Since 2010, the European Union and the IMF have promised more than 200bn euros in lending for Greece, the first country to be hit by the eurozone crisis.
The government has imposed tough austerity measures in return for aid, including cuts in pay and pensions leading to numerous general strikes.

Vulin accuses Priština of "opposing integration"

BELGRADE -- Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Aleksandar Vulin says Priština "has proved to be a strong opponent of integration."
Aleksandar Vulin (Tanjug)
Aleksandar Vulin (Tanjug)
Certain statements, such as one made by Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci, are meant to threaten the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, he added.
Kuci said that there was "no need for as many as 800 Serb police officers in the north and only some 100 to 150 will be recruited."

Vulin told Tanjug that the statement confirms something that has "already been felt for a while" in the talks on the implementation of the April 19 Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Priština - that “the greatest opponent of Serb integration is Priština.”

“The statement, which is setting out quota instead of integration goals, is an attempt to frighten the members of our Interior Ministry in KiM and to make them move out of there. Such statements reveal that Priština wants the territory and that it does not want the Serbs in the territory. Serbia finds the idea about the loss of jobs and, consequently, the announcement and threats of eviction, absolutely unacceptable,” said Vulin.

“The Republic of Serbia cannot accept it. The text of the Brussels agreement is more than clear on that - there is either enough room for everybody or there is room for nobody,” said Vulin.

He stressed that this is not a struggle for some kind of employment conditions, “but a fight to have KiM Serbs employed in security structures that will be recognized across the world and to ensure that they can provide security for themselves and their families through these security structures, since we know that both the international community and Priština have failed in doing that for them,” said Vulin.

Greece: Troika Back For Debt Negotiations

European and IMF inspectors are expected to put pressure on the Athens government to impose further cuts during vital talks.

Shut down Athens shop
A closed-down shop in Athens is all too typical of the Greek economy
Greece is bracing itself for the implementation of another round of savage cuts after "troika" officials arrived in Athens for their latest inspections.
European and IMF inspectors returned to Greece bent on pressing the ruling coalition to push ahead with privatisations and promises to start shedding thousands of public sector jobs.
Yet as a week of meetings kicked off, stocks suddenly plunged 5% and investor confidence looked shaky as a deadline to attract buyers for the country’s natural gas company passed without any bids.
The expected sale collapsed after Russia’s GAZPROM withdrew its interest, citing concerns over the financial outlook of DEPA, the Greek natural gas company, and fears that the European Union would subsequently impose stringent conditions.
"We haven’t received enough guarantees that DEPA's finance position would not get worse after the deal is completed," said Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov.
"The company is already experiencing difficulties with users' unpaid bills."
The surprise Russian climb-down marks the most serious setback to Greece’s bid of raising 2.6bn euro in asset sales by the end of the year.
It also casts a shadow over upbeat data and claims by the conservative-led government that Greece was well on a path of recovery three years after falling off a fiscal cliff and needing a 240bn euro bailout.
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras instructed officials to "quickly pursue" other potential buyers and launch a fresh bid.
Failure to make up for the shortfall in the privatisation target would force the government to impose additional spending cuts or added tax hikes – moves that would crush Greeks already reeling from years of austerity.
Greece has also agreed to sack some 15,000 public sector employees as part of its multi-billion euro loan requirements.
ECB's Klaus Masuch in Athens
Klaus Masuch from the European Central Bank arrives in Athens for talks
Failure to meet those conditions could warrant creditors to push for another round of austerity to make up for the potential shortfall.
But that could prove risky.
Just last week, the IMF admitted mistakes in its handling of the Greek crisis, by insisting on a policy of austerity that exacerbated the country's financial woes.
The fund forecast that the country’s annual output would drop by only 5.5% from its 2009 level but it slumped by three times that.
Unemployment in 2012 was anticipated to peak at 15% but it is now hovering at a haunting level of 26.8%.
Over the weekend, Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras suggested in an interview with the To Vima newspaper that the IMF's admission might afford Greece with some leverage in its new round of talks this week with creditors.
Opposition parliamentarians are even insisting the government revise its austerity pact altogether.
"We should opt for a moratorium on paybacks to creditors and pursue a new recovery plan for the economy," Dimitris Vitsas, a leading member of the Syriza opposition party said.
Despite widespread opposition, Greece's three-party coalition agreed to the job cuts plan two months ago, acceding to the tough terms of a new multi-billion euro bailout hammered out in December.
Failure to show progress in those privatizations and layoffs could pull the plug on a 3.3bn euro loan planned for this month.
Whether European and IMF inspectors are willing to cut Greece some slack remains unclear.
Ahead of his visit to Greece, Poul Thomsen, the IMF mission chief in Greece, seemed in an uncompromising mood.
"I regret nothing," he said. "Nothing."
Albania, NDS candidate attacked


NDS candidate attacked
The New Democratic Spirit leader, Bamir Topi, gave a public reaction for the brutal beating of the NDS candidate in Roskovec.

“I address this message to the person whose duty is to guarantee free and honest elections. Before talking about what he is going to do in the next four years, he should guarantee the integrity and security of these elections. This country that operates with his phalanges must react, because this doesn’t honor the Albanian institutions and puts a black stain on our behavior in front of the internationals”, Topi declared.

Mit’hat Hoxha, the New Democratic Spirit candidate in Fier, was left unconscious on the street after being hit with solid objects by persons that he did recognize.

“We wish a quick recovery to Hoxha, and I guarantee his family that New Democratic Spirit is close to them in this moment. The New Democratic Spirit not only does not get intimidated by blackmail, but now we will work even harder than before to return the rule of law standards. Tomorrow in Parliament and, why not, in the Albanian government, we will work to return these standards”, Topi declared.

Hoxha is currently hospitalized in the city of Fier, and his wife says that he had been threatened before to not be part of the electoral campaign in Roskovec.

The relatives confirm the threats, while other New Democratic Spirit leaders say that the three attackers have been identified.

The police is investigating by interrogating witnesses and the victim.

The United States Ambassador, Alexander Arvizu, asked a few days ago for guarantee for the Albanian police to guarantee a calm electoral climate.

Arvizu declared that despite some incidents, the United States expect the implementation of the law: “People express their passion for the candidates and their parties. Unfortunately there have been some incidents. The party supporters can do a lot to make the life of the State Police much easier by simply implementing the law. Certainly that political passion is allowed, but everyone needs to respect the law by being very careful. This is what the United States expect, and this is what we hope”.

Turkey protests: Riot police storm Taksim Square

The BBC's Mark Lowen describes the scene in Taksim Square, where volleys of tear gas are being fired
Turkish riot police have moved into Istanbul's Taksim Square, which has been occupied by anti-government protesters for close to two weeks.
Officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets, leading many protesters to flee the square into adjoining Gezi Park, where many have been camping.
Some activists responded by hurling fireworks, fire bombs and stones at police.
The unrest began after a police crackdown on a protest over Gezi Park.
The protests then widened, with demonstrators accusing Mr Erdogan's government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.
The move into the square by police comes after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to meet the protest organisers on Wednesday.
Backed by armoured vehicles, officers wearing helmets and carrying shields gathered around the square early on Tuesday before moving past barricades erected by protesters.
They removed protesters' banners which had been hung from a building overlooking the square.
Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu said the police had no intention of breaking up the protest in Gezi Park.
"Our aim is to remove the signs and pictures on Ataturk statue and the Ataturk Cultural Centre. We have no other aim," he wrote on Twitter. "Gezi Park and Taksim will not be touched."
A similar message was broadcast by police via loudspeaker, but protesters in the square said they did not believe this.
The BBC's Mark Lowen, who is in the square, says this was a deliberate show of force that may jeopardise Wednesday's talks.
The demonstrations are now in their 12th day, with activists controlling much of Taksim Square.
The unrest was sparked after police moved to suppress environmental protests over the redevelopment of Gezi Park on 31 May.
Three people have died and more than 5,000 have been injured since the protests began.
Map of protest locations in Turkey and Istanbul

Monday, June 10, 2013

Παγκόσμια Βλάχικη Αμφικτυονία στην Κορυτσά εκδήλωση! 4 - Komuniteti Botë...



Βλάχοι απ’ όλο τον κόσμο συναντήθηκαν στην Κορυτσά! [ΦΩΤΟ + ΒΙΝΤΕΟ]


Vlachs from around the world met in Korca

Vlachs from around the world met in Korca!
In Korca held the 4th Conference of the World Vlach with the participation of Vlachs from Skopje (Gevgeli, Monastery Krousovo), Germany, in Canada, America, Greece and Albania.

This meeting culminated Sunday where representatives Vlach clubs from all these countries after their participation in the liturgy presented traditional songs and dances in the central square of Korca, in front of the Cathedral.

Ex Miss Bulgaria Drug Arrest in Greece Reports Refuted


By on 9.6.13

Greek newspaper Katimerini and the PR agent of former Miss Bulgaria Yulya Yurevich (who was crowned Miss Bulgaria in 2007) refuted reports at the weekend that the beauty queen has been arrested for stocking drugs. Greek and Cyprus based media outlet "Bulgarian News" said that the young lady was detained after police discovered significant amounts of illegal drugs and weapons in her Athens apartment, attributing the report to Katimerini.

Later on Saturday, the Greek newspaper distributed a release, saying that it had published no such information.

Yurevich's PR agent also issued a message, telling Bulgarian BGNES agency that she is "shocked" by the false allegations. - novinite.com

New Public Opinion Poll Shows ND Lead Over SYRIZA



According to a new public opinion poll that was conducted for the Sunday edition of the RealNews newspaper, the New Democracy (ND) party has a 2.3 percent lead over main opposition SYRIZA.

More exactly, New Democracy was leading with 27.9 percent, followed by SYRIZA with 25.6 percent, the Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) party with 13.4 percent, the Independent Greeks party with 6.9 percent, PASOK with 6.4 percent, DIMAR with 6.2 percent and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 5.8 percent.

In response to who would be most suitable for prime minister, current Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (and ND leader) was preferred by 43.2 percent of the respondents, followed by SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras with 23.7 percent, while 31.2 percent said neither of the two.

Turkish PM in "coutneroffensive" as protests continue

ISTANBUL -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched "a verbal counter-offensive" aimed against the tens of thousands of protesters in his country.
A scene in Istanbul on Sunday (Beta/AP)
A scene in Istanbul on Sunday (Beta/AP)
The Turkish demonstrators have been gathering for ten days now to seek Erdogan's resignation.
His message for the citizens gathering in the streets of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, was that they were "robbers and extremists who are plotting an organized conspiracy within and outside the country."

Erdogan yesterday appeared in several television shows to take up the entire media space, news agencies are reporting.

"We were patient and we are still, but patience has its limits. We do not want showdowns with marginal groups, but we have the responsibility
toward the people... The people brought us to power, and they alone can make us go away," said the Turkish prime minister.

Meanwhile demonstrators gathered for a tenth day at Taksim Square in Istanbul, and in the now famous Geza Park, which Erdogan plans to demolish to build a commercial center.

This decision triggered a wave of street protests, primarily in Istanbul, which then - after a harsh police crackdown - turned into the ongoing anti-government protests.

The protesters accuse the conservative government, which has been in power since 2002, of authoritarian policies and Islamization of the secular Turkish state.

During the demonstrations so far four people lost their lives while nearly 5,000 were injured in clashes with police.