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Turkish Prime Minister Meets Activists


Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with antigovernment protesters in a bid to end two weeks of unrest.

However, protesters have apparently ignored Erdogan's "final warning" to leave Istanbul's Gezi Park, the center of the protest movement.

Thousands of people spent the night in both Taksim Square and Gezi Park.

Following the late-night talks in Ankara, a spokesman for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) said the meeting had been positive but reiterated that demonstrators must leave the park.

He also said no new construction would occur in the park until the resolution of a court case and the holding of a promised referendum.

The antigovernment movement was spawned by a May 31 police crackdown on activists protesting a planned redevelopment project in the park.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

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