Turkish president: Pressure leads to conflict

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Friday that policies of pressure on society only lead to conflict, at a time when anti-government protests are continuing across Turkey. "Efforts to put pressure on people have always served as the source of large-scale conflict," Gul told reporters, while receiving the participants of the 11th International Turkish Olympiad at the Presidential Palace in the capital of Ankara. On Thursday, Gul said that ongoing protests in Turkey do not bear any similarities to the revolutions in Middle Eastern countries. Turkish people protested against the demolition of Taksim's Gezi Park over a week ago, which later turned into clashes between police and protesters. The anti-government protests have spread to 67 provinces, including Ankara and coastal cities of Antalya and Izmir. The clashes have led to three people dead, more than 4,000 injured and thousands detained.