Middle East Today: Turkey --- Defiant PM Erdogan Returns to Istanbul

Supporters of Prime Minister Erdogan at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport last night (Photo: Reuters)

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Turkey: New Speech by PM Erdogan Blasts Protesters and Social Media

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used a speech this afternoon to continue his challenge to protesters. He has also attacked social media, saying they carried out a "disastrous lie campaign with respect to" the demonstrations.

Erdogan has also asked, "Where was the outrage over [police use of tear gas?" in other cases like Occupy Wall Street --- where he said 17 people had been killed --- Greece, and London.

Returning to the catalyst for the protests --- the Government's re-development of Istanbul's Gezi Park --- Erdogan said his Government has no problem with environmentalists and offered his co-operation.

Turkey: PM Erdogan Criticises Financial Sector Over Stock Market Fall

Prime Minister Erdogan has challenged financial institutions over a 12% fall in the stock market, the largest weekly drop since November 2008: "The interest rate lobby thinks they can threaten us by entering into speculations in the stock exchange. They should know we will not let them abuse the nation's wealth."

Egypt: Blogger on Hunger Strike

Ahmed Douma, a prominent blogger and activist, has gone on hunger strike to protest his recent sentencing to six months in jail and to raise awareness of a widening crackdown of dissent by the government.

Douma was sentenced for calling President Morsi a “murderer” and “criminal” on television. His lawyer, Ali Soliman, said “An example is being made of Douma” by the government.

Malek Adly of the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information commented that "Douma is an important revolutionary figure. By targeting him, the prosecutor-general is carrying out the orders of the government, which is trying to silence the opposition."

Douma’s case, and that of 11 other political activists, come a few weeks before a planned demonstration on 30 June to mark the end of Morsi’s first year in office. The organisers of the Tamarod (‘rebel’) protest claim to have gathered seven million signatures so far for a petition calling for Morsi’s removal and snap presidential elections.

Turkey: President Gül “I will not allow witch hunt”

President Abdullah Gül has told the head of the Turkish Bar Association, Metin Feyzioğlu, that citizens cannot be permitted to conduct a “witch hunt” over Twitter.

Gül said “In this process, everyone needs to act responsibly and restrained. I will not allow a witch hunt over Twitter. I will be following the judicial and executive investigation.”

Feyzioğlu showed the President images of police brutality and stated that “We emphasized the Twitter issue because we found it scary that the communication tool of 21st-century youth would be defined as a menace.” Prime Minister Erdoğan described Twitter as a “menace” on Sunday in response to its use by activists protesting against his government.

Bahrain: Crown Prince Meets High-Level Obama Administration Officials

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman, favoured by Washington as a "moderate" who will promote "reform", has been making the rounds of Administration officials this week. An official photograph from his discussion with Vice President Joe Biden:

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The visit by the Crown Prince, who has recently been named Deputy Prime Minister, comes amid concern that the "National Dialogue" between the regime, opposition, and other parties has made little progress since it began in February. The regime is also facing continued criticism that it has not implemented reforms --- for justice, political representation, freedom of detainees, and investigation of abuses by security forces --- since it suppressed mass protests in March 2011.

Yesterday, the US Administration fed these lines to the media:

Obama dropped by Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken's meeting with the prince, and stressed the importance of the US partnership in Bahrain and Washington's support for its stability and security....

"The president emphasized US support for Bahrain's stability and security," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.

Obama also stressed that "meaningful reform, dialogue and respect for universal human rights is the best path to achieving the peace and security that all Bahraini citizens deserve," she said.

Turkey: Defiant PM Erdogan Returns from North African Trip

Maintaining his defiance of the protests that have challenged his Government, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned to Istanbul last night after a four-day tour of North Africa.

"I call for an immediate end to the demonstrations, which have turned into unlawfulness and vandalism," Erdogan said.

Hundreds of supporters of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), gathered at Atatürk Airport to welcome Erdogan, waving Turkish flags and chanting for the Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc had called on people to stay home: "Our prime minister does not need such a show of strength." However, Erdogan appeared happy with a high-profile event: Flanked by his wife and prominent government ministers, he praised the supporters:

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You have remained calm, mature and showed common sense. We're all going to go home from here ... You're not the type of people to bang pots and pans on the streets.

Earlier on Thursday, in Tunisia, Erdogan "expressed...sorrow for the excessive use of force” against demonstrations but refused to give way on the re-development of Istanbul's Gezi Park, the initial catalyst for the protests: “Our Taksim [Square] project is a plant that unites history and nature. And this project will produce a very beautiful environment in Istanbul."

Protesters object to the conversion of the green space into residences and a replica Ottoman-era military barracks, housing a shopping mall. Last Friday, police tried to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas and water cannons, setting off protests across the country and violence that has killed three people, injured almost 2000, and led to the detention of more than 1000.