Some 5,000 anti-US protestors took to the streets of Ankara on Saturday just hours ahead of President George W. Bush's arrival in the Turkish capital. "USA Murderer, get out of the Middle East" and "Down with American imperialism" were among the slogans chanted at the protest, organised by opposition parties, trades unions and other organisations.
Several hundred police officers watched the demonstrators. There were no reports of trouble.
Bush and his wife Laura, who met European Union leaders in Ireland earlier in the day, were to fly into Ankara on Saturday evening amid tight security. On Sunday they were to travel on to Istanbul, where the president was scheduled to attend a Nato summit the next day.
Hundreds of police and paramilitary gendarmes were to line Ankara's 34-kilometre (21-mile) road linking Esenboga airport to the central Hilton hotel, where the Bushes will spend the night.
Central Ankara was already closing down on Saturday afternoon, with police blocking off dozens of roads and residents forced to remove parked cars from all streets likely to be used by the presidential party.
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