Greeted by thousands of cheering supporters as he landed back in Istanbul in the early hours from an overseas trip, the prime minister defied the protesters rallying against him and his conservative reforms as he fought to settle the sharpest challenge yet to his decade-long rule.
"I call for an immediate end to the demonstrations, which have lost their democratic credentials and turned into vandalism," Erdogan said in a speech at Istanbul's main airport.
He insisted he was the "servant" of all the people, but hinted that he would act against further defiance.
"We cannot turn a blind eye to anybody disturbing peace in the country and trying to hijack democracy," he said.
The stakes rose on Friday for Turkey's international image as Erdogan's office said he was due to meet with European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule [WIKI]. » | AFP | Friday, June 07, 2013
