Erdogan to meet with representatives of Gezi protest

Speaking to reporters following the Cabinet meeting that lasted more than six hours, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet a group of representatives of the Gezi Park protests to have talks over the protests and government's plans on the area. However, Arinc declined to elaborate about the names that will be included in the delegation to meet with Erdogan. Speaking on the ongoing nation-wide protests, Arinc said the government was determined to not let illegal rallies take place. Arinc argued that some of the extreme and fringe groups hijacked the protests and engage in clashes with police and security forces. "If the main aim of the protests, said to have begun upon good intention, is environment sensitivity, human rights and democracy, we would like to whole-heartedly discuss them with our interlocutors," Arinc said. Upon a question on the effects of ten-day incidents on Turkish stock exchange Borsa Istanbul, Arinc said there is no obvious negative course in markets, only a 3 pct fall within the first days of the protests.