Turkey protesters and police retrench after violent clashes in Instanbul's Taksim Square
ANKARA, Turkey Police and protesters retrenched Wednesday after punishing overnight clashes in Istanbul's Taksim Square — an uncertain hiatus before officials were to hold talks aimed to end Turkey's biggest anti-government protests in decades.
Nearly two weeks of protests across the nation has shaped as perhaps the biggest test in the 10-year rule of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan — who protesters say is increasingly authoritarian, a charge that he and his allies strongly deny.
President Abdullah Gul, seen by many as a more moderate voice, said the government could not stand more unrest that had disrupted daily life for nearly two weeks, but authorities would listen to protesters' grievances.
"I am hopeful that we will surmount this through democratic maturity," Gul told reporters. "If they have objections, we need to hear them, enter into a dialogue. It is our duty to lend them an ear."
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It was unclear exactly who would be taking part in the meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) at Erdogan's office in Ankara, and whether they will have any impact in brokering an end to the protests.
Activists had doubts about the talks' legitimacy: Only an actor and a singer — with unclear connections to the protesters — had agreed to take part, and some leaders of civil society groups, including Greenpeace, had previously said they would not participate because of an "environment of violence."
Gul lashed out at foreign media, as international investors have been concerned about how the disturbances could affect Turkey's fast-growing economy — prompting a double-digit percentage drop in the main stock index.
Following the night of violence, CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reported from Taksim Square that protesters had returned to their camps. After nearly two weeks of anti-government demonstrations, Williams said the Turkish authorities had lost their patience and wanted the protesters out of the area in the heart of Istanbul.
In an area that's normally full of commuters and office workers, Williams reported police have begun rubber bullets and water cannons mounted on trucks to drive the protesters back. At the park's entrance on Taksim Square, a massive barricade of wrecked cars and construction material stood as rudimentary protection from the police.
After a night of violence, traffic returned to Istanbul's Taksim Square early Wednesday, with taxis, trucks and pedestrians returning to the streets. A heavy police presence stood off to the side, near a new barricade erected before dawn to prevent riot police from firing tear gas into the square's still occupied Gezi Park.
According to Williams, the square had been turned into a battleground overnight - shrouded in tear gas. Although most of those demonstrating were peaceful, Williams witnessed some throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails. Several vehicles were set on fire, sending smoke billowing over central Istanbul.
The protests erupted on May 31 after a violent police crackdown on a peaceful sit-in by activists objecting to a project replacing Gezi Park with a replica Ottoman-era barracks. They spread to 78 cities across the country and have attracted tens of thousands of people each night.
The protesters are angry with the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, After being democratically elected, his opponents say he's now become dictatorial.
The Prime Minister has dismissed those demonstrating here as looters and extremists. Yesterday he said the protests were a systematic plan to damage Turkey's image. Erdogan has insisted the protests and occupations, which he says are hurting Turkey's image and economy, must end immediately.