Protesters light flares during a protest at Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Turkey, on June, 13, 2013.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has entered into emergency talks with representatives of anti-government protesters after they rebuffed his ultimatum to leave Gezi Park in central Istanbul.
On Thursday, Turkish television showed around a dozen members of Taksim Solidarity entering Erdoganâ„¢s Ankara residence for their first face-to-face meeting.
Taksim Solidarity is the core group behind the campaign to save Gezi Park from demolition.
Earlier in the day, the protesters rejected Erdoganâ„¢s “last warning” to evacuate the park, which has been the center of mass anti-government rallies.
“I’m making my last warning: mothers, fathers please withdraw your kids from there,” he said in a live television broadcast on Thursday.
Negotiations with Erdogan come after the government announced its readiness to hold a referendum on a controversial development plan in Istanbul in an attempt to put an end to the ongoing protests in the country.
The unrest began on May 31 after police broke up a sit-in held at Taksim Square to protest against the proposal to demolish Gezi Park.
The death toll from clashes between anti-government protesters and police in Turkey has reached five. The latest victim was a 26-year-old protester who succumbed to injuries he had sustained on June 1.
Around 5,000 of the demonstrators have also been injured so far.
The protesters say the park, which is a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations as well as a popular tourist destination, is the city’s last green public space.
Amnesty International has censured the Turkish police for the tactics they have used to control the protests.
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This article originally appeared on: Press TV