White House welcomes Turkish Deputy PM's apology for excessive force

WASHINGTON - Reuters

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney speaks to reporters in the briefing room of the White House in Washington June 4. REUTERS photo

The White House on June 4 welcomed comments from a Turkish government official who apologized for the use of excessive force by police to rein in protests over the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul.

It was Washington's sixth comments on the issue since May 31, when the protest grew into the biggest and most violent anti-government demonstration in years, as Turks complaining of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian style took to the streets all over the country. 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on June 3 that he was concerned by reports of excessive police force. 

White House spokesman Jay Carney noted Arınç's comments. "We hope that as we have made clear that the Turkish government will handle this in a way that respects the rights of free speech and assembly that are elemental to democracies. And we welcome the deputy prime minister's comments apologizing for excessive force and we continue to welcome calls for these events to be investigated," Carney told a briefing.