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Turkish PM urges end to bloodshed in Libya

16 September 2011 18:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday called for an end to bloodshed in Libya and urged Muammar Gaddafi’s loyalists in Sirte and other towns to give up resistance, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Erdogan arrived in the Libyan capital of Tripoli earlier in the day on the final leg of his three-nation Arab tour, which has already taken him to Egypt and Tunisia.

Erdogan’s trip came a day after British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited the North African country to show support for the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC).

In a joint press conference with Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the NTC, Erdogan there should be "no more bloodshed" in Libya and the country should not turn into another Iraq.

Erdogan also vowed to support Libya’s infrastructure reconstruction such as rebuilding of schools and police stations. "Teams will arrive from Turkey along with aid for victims of conflicts," he said.

For his part, Jalil expressed his appreciation of Turkey’s help toward Libyan people as well as the interim governing council, saying that Libya "looks forward to building an Islamic democratic country like Turkey."

On the battle front, NTC forces captured the airport in Sirte, a Mediterranean coastal city and the hometown of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, after fierce fighting, the pan-Arab al- Jazeera TV reported Friday, citing NTC fighters.

The NTC forces also poured into the desert town of Bani Walid, about 180 km south of the capital Tripoli, after two weeks of siege, and vowed to take control of it in the evening. Gunfire and explosions were heard near the town.

Sirte, Bani Walid and some towns in southern Libya are still under control of Gadaffi’s loyalists and the whereabouts of Gaddafi remains unknown.