Erdogan appeases protesters by halting park plan

Turkey’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to halt plans to redevelop an Istanbul park at the centre of two weeks of mass anti-government unrest, in a move protesters welcomed as “positive”.

It marked the first easing of tensions in the standoff, which has presented the Islamist-rooted government with the biggest challenge of its decade-long rule

Hours after giving a “last warning” to demonstrators camping out in Gezi Park, Erdogan made the concession in his first talks with a key group of protesters.

“The positive outcome is the prime minister’s explanation that the project will not continue before the final court decision,” Tayfun Kahraman, a spokesman for the Taksim Solidarity group, seen as the most representative of the protest movement, said.

A peaceful sit-in to save Gezi Park’s 600 trees from being razed prompted a brutal police response on May 31, spiralling into nationwide outpourings of anger against Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Deputy prime minister Huseyin Celik said the government would respect the court-ordered suspension of the park project. He also confirmed a referendum on the proposed reconstruction of Ottoman-era military barracks on the site would go ahead.

“But Gezi Park protesters should stop their demonstration now,” he warned.

The court process is expected to take several months. A probe is under way to investigate the use of excessive police force in dealing with the protesters.