Turkish PM backtracks in row with judiciary as police raid Islamic charity

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday he was ready to withdraw a contentious bill aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary as he battled to contain the worst crisis of his 11 years in office.

His about-face came as the country's political tumult took yet another twist with police raids against an Islamic charity close to the government that was accused of shipping arms to Syrian rebels.

The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) branded the police raid, part of a wider operation against al-Qaeda, a "smear campaign" linked to a high-level corruption probe embroiling the Islamic-rooted government.

Erdogan, who once held an almost unassailable grip on power, has been battling on several fronts since police launched a series of anti-graft raids in December targeting members of his inner circle.

His government has sought to limit the powers of the judiciary and has sacked hundreds of police and prosecutors involved in the investigation, which Erdogan claims is a plot by an erstwhile ally to destabilise him ahead of key local elections in March.

Erdogan offered a compromise in the row over the judiciary, saying the government was ready to withdraw proposed legislation curbing the power of judges, on certain conditions.

"If the opposition agrees to constitutional changes governing this issue [the judiciary], we will freeze the proposal and if necessary will stop it from reaching the full parliament," he told lawmakers from his Justice and Development Party (AKP).