Crowds welcome Davutoglu to Libya's freedom square

On the way to the airport yesterday for his flight home from Libya, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stopped in Benghazi's Freedom Square where he was greeted by hundreds of demonstrators, including war widows, chanting "Gaddafi out" and "Turkey, Turkey, Turkey." In Arabic, Davutoglu addressed Libyans in the square, the center of anti-government protests. "I bring you greetings from the Turkish people and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan," Davutoglu told the crowd. He said Turks and Libyans share a common history, fate and future, adding, "Libya's future will be brighter than its past." Speaking later to reporters en route to Ankara, Davutoglu said, "My visit to Benghazi wasn't a message to the (Gadhafi) government in Tripoli. It wasn't a move to exclude Tripoli." Mahmoud Jibril, a Libyan rebel leader, is set to arrive in Turkey today to discuss promised post-Gadhafi aid of $300 million pledged by Davutoglu during his visit. "For us, Libya's destiny is the same as Turkey's," said Davutoglu. "I expressed our solidarity and commitment." Davutoglu also said that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to pay a visit to Egypt on July 21 and that he himself has visited Egypt four times in recent months. "For us, Egypt holds the key to the success of the Arab Spring," said Davutoglu. "If things work out well in Egypt, this will set an example for others".