Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday that no military operation could gain legitimacy by statements comparing it to a Crusade, Anadolu Agency reported.
Commenting on the latest military action against Libya during a press conference following his meeting with Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of United Arab Emirates, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said latest developments in Libya had been on the agenda of his gathering with Al Nahyan.
Davutoglu said providing the security of Libyan people, as well as protection of Libya's domestic peace, territorial integrity and independence were the basic principles for Turkey in the ongoing process.
The minister said that every action to be taken in regard to Libya should be in line with international values and UN principles, moreover, activities should aim at strengthening Libyan nation's security, freedoms and democratic demands, not at intensifying clashes.
"Gaddafi forces should stop their attacks right away and civilians should be protected from any damage just like it was done in Misurata today," he said.
Davutoglu said Turkey had notified Libyan authorities that it was ready to extend support to those injured in Misurata. "After that, a cease-fire should be declared and Libyan people should be given full authority to determine their future," he added.
Davutoglu noted he shared the same opinion with Al Nahyan since the beginning of the crisis, adding that developments in Bahrain and Yemen had also been discussed during their meeting.
Replying to questions, Davutoglu commented on why Turkey, which had earlier objected to NATO's intervention, now wanted the organization to conduct the operation.
Davutoglu said Turkey's stance on the issue had been principled and steady from the very beginning.
The minister said that there had been no UN Security Council or Arab League decisions when those statements had been delivered, besides, no regional initiative had been launched at the time.
"After these conditions were fulfilled, our stance could not be the same anymore. What we have meant at the time was NATO's unilateral intervention without the presence of such legal grounds. We have expressed our objection to all kinds of unilateral interventions," he said.
Regarding Turkey's contribution to NATO's activities, Davutoglu said, "In principle, our contribution will cover humanitarian aid and enforcement of arms embargo, not any strikes or attacks".
Davutoglu said Turkey believed the operation should only aim at implementing the relevant UN Security Council decisions referring to the protection of civilians, enforcement of arms embargo, transfer of humanitarian aid and implementation of no-fly zone.
He said all the activities concerning the ongoing situation in Libya should be gathered under the roof of the UN and the control of NATO.
"We will make all the contributions and compromises for the protection of our Libyan brothers. However, we will object to a polarizing and sided operation by all our means," he said.
"Above all, it is impossible to legitimize any operation by delivering statements comparing the situation to a Crusade. We will not allow such a thing. It is important that all the activities are gathered under one roof and the process is not left to unilateral initiatives. We will carry on with negotiations until we achieve this goal," Davutoglu said.
