US Vice President Dick Cheney was greeted by several small protests during a brief visit to Ankara on Monday where he held talks with Turkish leaders on regional security issues as a part of his Middle East tour. Dozens of protesters from a left-wing party shouted "Yankee, go home" as Cheney arrived at the presidential palace to meet President Abdullah Gul.
Later, three protesters shouting "US murderers get out of the Middle East" were detained after throwing red paint at the residence of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan shortly before he was to meet Cheney.
At a separate protest in Ankara some 150 people chanted slogans against the Iraq war and US imperialism, and called on the Turkish government to reject a request by Washington to send more Turkish troops to Afghanistan. Under tight security, Cheney was due to hold talks with Turkish Chief of General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit, with Iran and Iraq expected to be on the agenda.