Amid continued evacuations, Turkey opposes sanctions on Libya

As Turkey continues to evacuate its citizens from crisis-hit Libya, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Wednesday warned against imposing sanctions on Tripoli, saying such measures would only punish the Libyan people. Following a European Union decision paving the way for possible sanctions due to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's violent suppression of anti-government protests, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he opposed the idea. "Acting rashly on these types of situations would be a mistake," Erdogan told Agence France-Presse in Ankara . "Imposing sanctions on Libya is wrong, because such measures would punish the population." Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal also told reporters that 7,062 Turkish citizens had been evacuated from Libya as of Thursday morning. According to Unal, the Turkish effort also evacuated 59 foreign nationals, following requests for help from 21 countries. A military vessel and a ferry are expected to reach Libya today, Unal said, adding that Turkey is preparing three more frigates to escort ships sent to Libya to bring Turkish citizens back home.