Former US ambassador: "The AKP closure case will be concluded in mid or late august"

Speaking on Tuesday to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think-tank, former US Ambassador to Ankara Mark Parris spoke about what the center called "The Crisis in Turkey." Parris said that the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would likely be concluded in mid or late August. Saying he believed the possibility the Constitutional Court would issue a closure order is quite high, he added, however, that recent developments hold out the prospect of a compromise solution to avoid closure. Parris also praised Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an "irreplaceable and charismatic" leader, warning that closing down the AKP would send everybody involved "off a cliff together."