Everything is alright, ODTÜ rector says after meeting PM

ISTANBUL

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (R) receives ODTU rector Ahmet Acar (L). AA photo

A meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proceeded positively, Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) Rector Ahmet Acar said yesterday after meeting with the premier in the wake of violence last week precipitated by the police.

"We talked about general matters. The harsh reaction of the prime minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] against professors wasn’t discussed in the conversation. The meeting was quite positive. There's no problem," Rector Ahmet Acar told daily Hürriyet.

“I shared information about the incidents that took place on our campus. I explained the event from the beginning and the general security procedure of our campus. I said my biggest reaction was against the effects of tear gas on children aged 3 to 6 years old at the kindergarten on campus," he said.

Acar's meeting with Erdoğan reportedly lasted one hour, during which there were protests at the ÖDTU campus, while his meeting with President Abdullah Gül lasted 45 minutes.

Acar requested an appointment from the prime minister after Erdoğan heavily criticized the former and his academic staff for supporting the students and blaming police for violence that gripped the campus on Dec. 18 when the Turkish leader attended a ceremony at the school. Ahead of the meeting, the ODTÜ rector said the prime minister had been misinformed about the situation.

A gas canister fired by police seriously injured an ODTÜ student during the protest; in the wake of the protest, authorities detained dozens of students on charges of “terrorism.”