TRIPOLI: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed on Friday what he called the sacrifice of Libyans as he became the third foreign leader to visit Tripoli, on the last stage of an "Arab Spring" tour.
"I am happy to have been a witness to the advent of democracy in Libya," he said after joining Friday prayers in the capital’s Martyrs Square — formerly Green Square under the regime of fugitive fallen strongman Moammar Qaddafi.
Erdogan hailed "the memory of martyrs who sacrificed themselves for their country and their religion, as did Omar Mukhtar," the resistance fighter against Italian colonists who was hanged 80 years ago by the Italian military.
"I address myself to Sirte and Bani Walid: embrace your brothers and join other Libyans," Erdogan said of residents of the two Qaddafi redoubts being attacked by National Transitional Council (NTC) forces on Friday.
"Unification in the ranks will help Libyan development and make it one of the best countries in the region," he added.
Erdogan arrived in Tripoli from Tunisia. He was greeted by NTC chief Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, whose forces last month seized the capital from Qaddafi, forcing the despot on the run.
At a joint news conference, the Turkish premier said "Libya belongs to all Libyans, who will decide their own future," stressing that the country will not become a new Iraq.
He pledged to help Libya rebuild it schools, police stations, a hospital, orphanage and construct a new parliament building.
Abdel-Jalil said Libya’s new rulers "aspire to have a democratic and Muslim state inspired by the Turkish model," adding that "Islam is capable of generating rebirth and development."
Erdogan had begun his tour in Egypt, where he received a rapturous welcome.
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, whose forces spearheaded the NATO air war that helped topple Qaddafi, are immensely popular among ordinary Libyans for their role in ending the fugitive strongman’s 42 years of iron-fisted rule.
Erdogan has gained greater stature and popularity in the Arab world, stemming mainly from his 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.
In Egypt, some drew comparisons between Erdogan and 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 UN membership next week.
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 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."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (CL) and Libya’s interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil wave as they attend Friday prayers in Tripoli on Sept. 16. (AFP Photo/Mahmud Turkia)
