ANKARA: Turkey’s defiant Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a fierce new attack on social media on Sunday, just hours after the president voiced hope the government would soon lift its controversial ban on Twitter.

The conflicting comments from Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul underscore what appears to be a growing gulf between the two men just a week before crucial local elections.

The Twitter ban has been condemned by critics as a bid to muzzle a widening corruption scandal dogging the government and has drawn strong rebukes from rights groups and Turkey’s Western allies. “I believe this problem will be over soon,” Gul told reporters before leaving for a visit to the Netherlands.

“This is of course an unpleasant situation for such a developed country as Turkey, which has weight in the region and which is negotiating with the European Union.”

The ban was implemented Thursday shortly after Erdogan threatened to “wipe out” Twitter.

On Sunday, Erdogan also took aim at popular Facebook and YouTube which he had previously threatened to ban after the local polls are held on March 30.

“I cannot understand how sensible people still defend Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. They run all kinds of lies,” he said at an election rally in the northwestern province of Kocaeli.

“I am obliged to take measures in the face of any attack threatening my country’s security even if the world stands up against us.”