Speculation circulates over secret meeting between Turk pres and PM

One of the scenarios recently circulated in Ankara is the possibility that the two have discussed future steps if the ruling AKP is closed, Hurriyet daily wrote on Wednesday quoting some AKP officials.

Gul and Erdogan held a secret five-hour long tete-a-tete meeting at the residence of a deputy from the ruling AKP in Ankara, prior to the Constitutional Court's deliberations on the closure case against the ruling party. The two came to the residence in their private civil vehicles.

Gul was a good colleague of Erdogan and held the foreign ministry and the prime ministerial post in the AKP government before being elected president.

In Turkey's history, no such a meeting has been held between a president and prime minister in a private home of a third person.

Such a meeting, lasting five hours, being held at such a critical period could only have happened if a very important intelligence tip-off had been received, the officials also told Hurriyet. They claimed the prime minister could have received intelligence that the party could be closed.

Some officials said the two held this meeting, which drew harsh criticism from the opposition, to show that they make decisions together in a strong determination. The opposition says the meeting proved that the president is partial in the closure case.

Some said the blasts in Istanbul topped the agenda of the meeting of the two top figures of the state. However the meeting was reported to have been arranged before the blasts, and the meeting started at 09:30 p.m. (GMT 1830), while the Istanbul blasts occurred almost fifteen minutes later.