Turkey's embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared open war Wednesday on what he labeled an "empire of fear" created by an Islamic rival at the heart of a deepening political crisis.

Erdogan accused loyalists of influential Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen of outright treachery over what he says is a coup plot launched in the guise of a corruption probe that has ensnared several key allies.

Turkey's government was pursuing efforts Wednesday to defuse a row over plans to exert more control over the judiciary, a move that has stoked concerns about the independence of the country's institutions in the wake of a damaging corruption scandal.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, facing the worst crisis of his 11-year rule, said Tuesday he was ready to freeze the legislation in the face of stiff opposition -- but only with conditions.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul called on Tuesday for a shift in government policy towards Syria after years of vocal opposition to the Damascus regime.

His comments came just a week ahead of peace talks aimed at ending the civil war in Syria that are due to open in Switzerland on January 22.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday 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 is accused of shipping arms to Syrian rebels.

Turkey's president is to meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday after holding talks with opposition leaders on the embattled premier's controversial bid to curb judges' powers.

President Abdullah Gul will meet Erdogan later Monday, the NTV channel reported, as the president held separate meetings on the divisive bill with the heads of the opposition Republican People's Party, Nationalist Movement Party and pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled on Sunday that his government would go ahead with controversial reforms curbing judges' powers amid a deepening corruption scandal.

"The commission put (the proposals) to vote yesterday (Saturday) and decided that they were not against the constitution," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.

Baghdad summoned Turkey's charge d'affaires Sunday over moves by Iraq's Kurdish region to sell oil independently via one of Ankara's ports, saying the move was a violation of its constitution.

Deputy Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, the top official responsible for energy affairs, summoned Efe Ceylan over the announcement by the autonomous Kurdish region last week that its first shipment of crude oil sent directly to Turkey had gone on sale, with more expected to follow.

A Turkish Airlines plane en route to Sao Paulo made an emergency landing in Morocco Sunday after a bomb warning, an airline official told Agence France Presse.

The plane landed at Casablanca Airport after taking off from Istanbul, the official told AFP.

Jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan warned in a statement on Saturday that the peace process initiated with the Turkish state cannot remain in limbo forever, and urged the government to act.

"Despite all the obstacles our will for peace remains as determined as it was on the very first day we but it should be known that it cannot remain in limbo forever," Ocalan said in a message relayed by pro-Kurdish lawmakers who visited him on an island prison off Istanbul.

Turkey's justice minister said Saturday that the government may back down on a bid to curb judges' powers amid a deepening corruption scandal, local media reported.

"If political party groups come together ... and reach a consensus, the proposal could be halted," Bekir Bozdag was quoted as saying by the private NTV television.