Erdogan Arrives in Libyan Capital
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the Libyan capital on Friday on the final leg of his "Arab Spring" tour, an Agence France Presse photographer said.
Erdogan arrived from Tunisia at Tripoli's airport, where he was greeted by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, number two in the new ruling National Transitional Council (NTC), whose forces last month toppled despot Moammar Gadhafi.
The Turkish premier began his tour in Egypt, where he received a rapturous welcome, confirming his rising regional status.
Besides holding talks with the new leadership, Erdogan was to attend the weekly Muslim main prayers at an Ottoman-era mosque, an NTC official said.
On Thursday, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy became the first foreign leaders to visit the new Libya.
The two leaders, whose forces spearheaded the NATO air war that helped topple Gadhafi, are immensely popular among ordinary Libyans for their role in ending the fugitive strongman's 42 years of iron-fisted rule.
Erdogan has gained regional stature as well as popularity in the Arab world, stemming mainly from his strong confrontations with Israel, at a time when regional leaders were seen by their people as impotent when it comes to the Jewish state and the West.
On his visit to Egypt, some drew comparisons with the late Gamal Abdel Nasser, whose pan-Arabism and defiance of foreign powers made him a regional hero in the 1950s.
Erdogan has also become a champion of the Palestinian cause, which is entering a crucial phase with the Palestinian Authority's plan to take a further step towards statehood by seeking U.N. membership later this month.
In a keynote address to the Arab League in Cairo on Wednesday, Erdogan argued that supporting the Palestinian bid was an obligation.
On Thursday, he made the case for "Islam and democracy" in Tunisia, where moderate Islamists modeled on his own party are tipped to win landmark October polls.
On a visit to the country where the "Arab Spring" began, Erdogan asserted that "Islam and democracy are not contradictory."
"A Muslim can run a state very successfully," said the 57-year-old after a meeting with his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi.
"The success of the electoral process in Tunisia will show the world that democracy and Islam can go together," he added.
Source: Agence France Presse
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