Turkey Live Coverage (10 May): Fronts At Home and Abroad

1720 GMT: Although still not confirmed by the Foreign Ministry, the Turkish daily Hürriyet Daily News says that two Turkish journalists held in Syria are going to be freed this week. An Iranian official was quoted as saying that "Iran did its best to contact the Syrian groups and persuade them to release those innocent people."

1645 GMT: At a ceremony held to mark the 144th anniversary of the establishment of the Council of State, President Hüseyin Karakullukçu voiced support for a switch to a presidential system, saying his court considers the system to be “democratic” for Turkey's standard. 

1600 During a press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Selçuk Ünal says the possibility of invoking the right to military protection of Turkish borders against threats from Syria under Article 5 of the NATO charter is still on Turkey's agenda.

1540 GMT: Some Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members reportedly engaged in harassing fire against Turkish soldiers in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province. No injuries reported. 

1420 GMT: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki criticized Turkey for its earlier remarks. After Ankara's support for fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, Maliki said:

We do not want to antagonise Turkey, or Iran, or America, or Saudi Arabia, or any other country, but what happened and the remarks issued by Turkey do not show mutual respect.

Meanwhile, deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said that they are showing Turkish hospitability to Hashemi.

1100 GMT: According to the results of  a study by MetroPOLL,  66% of respondents said that they would show resistance in streets against a coup while 79% said that they would not support any military intervention in political affairs for any reason. 

Eighty-two percent of those surveyed said that military coups were harmful to the country.

1030 GMT: Among 17 suspects who were detained on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the 28 February 1997 unarmed military coup, 15 were sent for a hearing. The Ankara 11th High Criminal Court ruled in favor of the arrest of 11 of the suspects, including six active duty and five retired generals.

Syria

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the Assad regime for the explosion of a roadside bomb on Wednesday, moments after United Nations observers passed by in Daraa Province. The Ministry urged the Syrian authorities to live up to their obligation to maintain the security of the UN mission.  

Iraq

Asked about the fate of the fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said: "While we note that the red notice has been issued, we consider this an issue for the two governments to settle." 

In other words, Washington is giving a green light to Hashemi's staying in Turkey as leverage against Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.