Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan firmly ruled out any NATO intervention in the Libyan crisis, while he strongly criticized European countries due to their “double-standard” approach towards developments in North Africa.
“What has NATO to do in Libya? NATO's intervention in Libya is out of the question. We are against such a thing,” Erdogan said in a speech delivered at a meeting organized by the Turkish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TD-IHK) in Hanover, Today’s Zaman reports.
Erdogan also responded to certain criticism directed against him for not releasing a blunt and public warning to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. “We are ruling a state, not a tribe,” Erdogan said. He also stressed that Libya has de facto been divided into two parts and that he wished to see a reunited Libya. Praising Turkey's principled stance on developments in North Africa, Erdogan slammed European countries for failing to display a strong stance.
He argued that sweeping protests across the Arab world are largely driven by people’s “desire for more freedom and justice.”
