Turkish government says it may use army to end protests

YEREVAN, 18 JUNE, ARMENPRESS: Turkey's government has said it could use the military to end nearly three weeks of unrest by protesters in Istanbul and other cities, reports Armenpress referring to BBC.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told A Haber TV that the state would use "all its powers" and the armed forces if necessary to "establish peace".

It is the first time the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has raised the prospect of deploying troops.

Later, Mr Arinc complained that his comments had been taken out of context.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told hundreds of thousands of supporters at a rally in Istanbul that the protesters had been manipulated by "terrorists".

Trade unions have called a strike to protest against the police crackdown on demonstrators which has seen some 500 people arrested.

Medical officials estimate that 5,000 people have been injured and at least four killed in the unrest.

The protests began on 28 May against a plan to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park, on the city's central Taksim Square, but it snowballed into nationwide anti-government protests after the perceived high-handed response of the authorities under their three-term prime minister.