McCain meets Ukrainian protest leaders amid rallies

Sunday, 15 Dec 2013 | 5:45 AM ET Andrew Kravchenko | AFP | Getty ImagesSenator John McCain (R) speaks to leaders of Ukrainian opposition Arseniy Yatsenyuk (L) from Batkivshchyna Party, and Andriy Tyagnybok (C) from Svoboda party

U.S. Senator John McCain met Ukrainian opposition leaders in Kiev on Saturday and voiced support for protesters camped out for weeks in the capital, a move sure to anger Moscow for what it sees as Western meddling in its backyard.

The street protests started after the November 21 decision by President Viktor Yanukovich - seeking the best possible deal for Ukraine to stave off bankruptcy - to walk away from a trade pact with Europe at the last minute and seek closer ties with its old Soviet master.

The movement has since grown in size and vehemence, bringing tens of thousands onto the streets in a series of rallies, becoming an all-out protest against the president and his cabinet.

McCain is the latest of a string of European and American dignitaries to tour the sprawling protest camp set up behind tall barricades - prompting Russia to accuse the West of excessive involvement.

McCain was due to be joined by the chairman of the Senate's Europe subcommittee, Chris Murphy, on Sunday.

(Read more: Ukraine seeks $27.5 billion in aid from EU, PM says)

"I am proud of the people of Ukraine and their steadfast efforts for democracy," McCain told reporters after meeting the country's Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara.

McCain then met opposition leaders - the ex-boxing champion Vitaly Klitchko, former economy minister Arseny Yatsenyuk and far right nationalist Oleh Tyahnybog - who are calling for Yanukovich's government to resign and for early elections.

Police violence on November 30 against what was initially a pro-Europe demonstration shocked Ukrainians, setting a match to deep-seated anger over corruption and sleaze.

Ukraine will 'burn bridges' if uses violenceLinas Linkevicius, minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania, says the Ukrainian government will "burn all its bridges" with the European Union if it uses violence against protestors.

U.S. Democrats and Republicans have condemned the harsh measures and on Friday senators issued a resolution calling for the United States to consider sanctions in case there is further violence against peaceful demonstrators.

"I heard he (McCain) was here. It's nice that they know of us, that they remember us. It is great that they support us," said Volodimir Tarabanov, 28, who works for a delivery company in Kiev.

Stability

Thousands of Yanukovich supporters staged a rival rally in Kiev on Saturday, many bused in from Donetsk and other cities in eastern Ukraine - the traditional stronghold of the president's Party of Regions.

"We are here to support the president and stability," 18-year-old Maria Nikolayeva said, holding the Party of Regions blue flag. "Yanukovich is our best prospect at the moment ... I don't see any alternative."

(Read more: Ukraine maygain 'short-term benefits' by move east)

In an attempt to defuse weeks of unrest, Yanukovich on Saturday dismissed the head of Kiev's state administration and a national security aide over the violence on November 30. Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka said two more police officials involved that night were under investigation.

But protesters continued to stream into the capital for the weekend protest. Talks between the government and the opposition on Friday appeared to go nowhere.

Sweden's foreign minister said Russia should not feel threatened if Ukraine moved closer to the European Union.

"Ukraine has a free trade agreement (FTA) with Russia and we have nothing against that," Carl Bildt told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Monaco.

"Why should they object that the Ukraine has an FTA with the EU? It is a win-win for Ukraine and Russia. Why they should see everything as a zero sum game? It's not," said Bildt, who was closely involved in EU talks with the Ukraine.

Tensions in the capital

The proximity of rival demonstrations in Kiev - separated only by a line of riot police - raised fears of fresh violence.

(Read more: EU talking to IMF, World Bank, others about Ukraine)

"The most difficult matters should and can only be solved at the negotiating table. People should not be driven away from their work, from their families," Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told supporters. "Let's tell the people to go back home to their families and their business."

Sergei Bychok, a 43-year-old electrician, said he came to the pro-government rally because he wanted stability.

"I got my salary but a lot of people are here because they are afraid they won't," he said in a whisper, referring to widespread accusations among Yanukovich opponents that the authorities paid or pressured people to attend their rally.

In the square held by the anti-government protesters - now known as the "Maidan", meaning "Square", or the "Euro-maidan" - the atmosphere was peaceful.

For those who stayed overnight, the day began with early morning prayers followed by an aerobics session led from the stage. The crowds grew denser towards the evening with people holding up placards picturing Yanukovich and Azarov behind bars and sporting stickers reading "Raise Ukraine!".

"I'm here for Europe and against Yanukovich. For me it's almost the same because it's the European Union association that is our chance to rid Ukraine of corruption," said Oleh, a 22-year-old engineering student. "We will be here a month or as long as it takes."

 Print Email U.S. Senator John McCain met Ukrainian opposition leaders in Kiev and voiced support for protesters camped out for weeks in the capital. Featured Ukrainians mass for new rally

Thousands massed on Sunday for a rally against President Viktor Yanukovich.

McCain visits Kiev amid rallies

U.S. Senator John McCain met Ukrainian opposition leaders in Kiev and voiced support for protesters.

Fallen star Slovenia's bank clean-up

Slovenia's banks need $6.62 billion to plug the holes in their balance sheets, the central bank said on Thursday.

Ukrainian police take back part of square

Ukrainian riot police moved in force early on Wednesday into part of the Kiev square where protesters are demonstrating against government decision.

More From Emerging Europe Ukraine crisis escalates amid 'insane' scenes Central and eastern Europe are courting China What killed Croatia’s EU accession party? Poland’s property developers reach for the sky Ukraine, Russia deny reports of trade deal Ukraine Stories Poland Stories Hungary Stories Romania Stories Croatia Stories Contact Emerging Europe Tweets about "#emergingeurope"!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Top News & Analysis Dollar bulls bet on mini-taper this week What every investor has to prepare for this week Google's running machines join robot race Swiss banker in eye of US tax evasion storm to face court China flash PMI slips – What are we missing? Most Popular Stories Nikkei, Shanghai lead Asia stocks lower; China PMI, Fed anxiety weigh What every investor has to prepare for this week Frequent fliers moving on, blame the fees Christmas tree sales boom may hurt procrastinators Ukrainians mass for new rally as EU halts trade deal Most Popular Video Santelli Exchange: Europe beyond stabilization     Is Europe the place to invest in in 2014?     Worldwide Exchange...in drawings!     The bulls vs the bears on Japanese equities     Confidence has returned to Ireland: Greencore CEO     Most Shared Gold eases as Fed meeting looms, stimulus outlook eyed Millions of shoppers about to 'panic' this week North Korea frees US Korean War vet after 7 weeks Cramer: A Chinese 'game-changer' for this social stock Fed's dreaded 'taper' may not hurt after all NEWSU.S.AsiaEuropeEconomyEarningsEnergyInside WealthPoliticsTechnologyBlogsSlideshowsSpecial ReportsCorrectionsMARKETSPre-MarketsU.S.EuropeAsiaStocksCommoditiesCurrenciesBondsFundsETFsINVESTINGStock BlogPersonal FinanceCNBC ExplainsPortfolioWatchlistStock ScreenerFund ScreenerFinancial AdvisorsSMALL BUSINESSFranchisingFinancingManagementVideoVIDEOLatest VideoTop VideoU.S. VideoEurope VideoAsia VideoCEO InterviewsAnalyst InterviewsDigital WorkshopFull EpisodesClosed CaptioningSHOWSWatch LiveCNBC U.S.CNBC Asia-PacificCNBC EuropeCNBC WorldFull EpisodesWATCH LIVEPROCNBCAbout CNBCSite MapVideo ReprintsAdvertiseCareersHelpContactPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceIndependent Programming ReportLatest News ReleasesRSSCertain market data provided by Thomson ReutersData also provided by

Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis

© 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved.

A Division of NBCUniversal

View the original article here

Turkey rules out early polls, thousands defy call to end protest

1 of 13. A Turkish man gestures as he walks in front of a wall, spray-painted with anti-government graffiti, near Istanbul's Taksim square June 8, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Yannis Behrakis

By Nick Tattersall and Ece Toksabay

ISTANBUL | Sat Jun 8, 2013 5:31pm EDT

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party on Saturday ruled out early elections as tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators defied his call for an immediate end to protests.

Huseyin Celik, deputy chairman of the Justice and Development (AK) Party founded by Erdogan just over a decade ago, said local and presidential elections would be held next year as planned, and a general election in 2015.

"The government is running like clockwork. There is nothing that necessitates early elections," he told reporters after a meeting of the party's executive committee in Istanbul.

"The world is dealing with an economic crisis and things are going well in Turkey. Elections are not held because people are marching on the streets."

A few kilometres away, tens of thousands of Turks defied Erdogan's call on Friday for an immediate end to anti-government demonstrations, massing again in the central Taksim Square, where riot police backed by helicopters and armored vehicles first clashed with protesters a week ago.

Tourists and curious locals swelled their numbers around a makeshift protest camp in Gezi Park, a leafy corner of the square where activists have been sleeping in tents and vandalized buses, or wrapped in blankets under plane trees.

Senior AK officials said they had discussed calling a rally of their supporters in Istanbul or Ankara next week but no decision had yet been taken, with some party figures urging restraint for fear of provoking the situation on the streets.

What began as a campaign against government plans to build over the park spiraled into an unprecedented display of public anger over the perceived authoritarianism of Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party, leading to the worst riots in decades.

In a rare show of unity, thousands of fans from Istanbul's three main football clubs Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, who have helped organize some of the protests, marched on Taksim roaring "Tayyip resign!" and "Arm in arm against fascism!".

Police fired teargas and water cannon in the Kizilay district of central Ankara late on Saturday to try to disperse protesters blocking roads and burning bonfires in the streets.

There were similar scenes overnight in Istanbul's working-class Gazi neighborhood, which saw heavy clashes with police in the 1990s. Three people have been killed and close to 5,000 injured around the country since the violence began a week ago.

Thousands protested in Berlin, home to a large Turkish population, waving red Turkish flags and chanting "Occupy Gezi".

Erdogan has given no indication of plans to clear out Taksim, around which protesters have built dozens of barricades made of ripped up paving stones, street signs, vandalized vehicles and corrugated iron, clogging part of the city centre.

Police pulled back from the square days ago.

"Let them attack. They can't stop us," a member of the Turkish Communist Party shouted through loudspeakers to a cheering crowd from on top of a white van in the square.

Taksim is lined by luxury hotels that should be doing a roaring trade as the summer season starts in one of the world's most-visited cities. But a forced eviction might trigger a repeat of the clashes seen earlier in the week.

ANGER BOILS OVER

The gatherings mark a challenge to a leader whose authority is built upon three successive election victories. Erdogan takes the protests as a personal affront.

"Turkey is a democracy and it will prove its inner disposition in the face of these protests," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told Germany's Welt am Sonntag.

"Prime Minister Erdogan has a special responsibility to calm the situation and he has to be aware of that," he said.

Sources close to the AK Party speak of a sense of siege within the party leadership, with influential if disparate forces loath to break ranks publicly but worried about the extent of Erdogan's power and his uncompromising stance.

Erdogan has made little secret of his ambition to run for the presidency after his third term as prime minister comes to an end, although the AK Party could also change internal rules to allow him to stand for a fourth term.

Celik said the protests had been discussed "in detail" at Saturday's party meeting, but that the question of early elections had never been on the agenda.

"A government that doesn't have people's trust cannot be permanent. We got the message of the protests and we respect that, but there's nothing to respect about people throwing stones," he said.

Erdogan has made clear he has no intention of stepping aside - pointing to the AK Party's 50 percent of the vote in the last election - and has no clear rivals inside the party or out.

He has enacted many democratic reforms, taming a military that toppled four governments in four decades, starting entry talks with the European Union and forging peace talks with Kurdish rebels to end a three-decade-old war.

But in recent years, critics say his style, always forceful and emotional, has become authoritarian.

Media have come under pressure, opponents have been arrested over alleged coup plots, and moves such as restrictions on alcohol sales have unsettled secular middle-class Turks who are sensitive to any encroachment of religion on their daily lives.

"These protests are partly a result of his success in economic and social transformation. There's a new generation who doesn't want to be bullied by the prime minister and who is afraid their lifestyle is in danger," said Joost Lagendijk, a former European parliamentarian and Istanbul-based academic.

(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Ece Toksabay in Istanbul, Stephen Brown and Michelle Martin in Berlin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

View the original article here