Erdoğan would be the first senior foreign leader to be visiting Libya since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi, with Libya being the last leg of a three-nation tour including Egypt and Tunisia. In both Egypt and Tunisia, Erdoğan received a hero´s welcome from the peoples of these countries, while international media´s eyes have been on the messages delivered by the Turkish leader.

Upon his arrival in Tripoli today, Erdoğan will also visit Benghazi, the cradle of the revolution that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi.

There was no official confirmation of the visit on Thursday from Sarkozy´s office or from the office of Cameron as of Wednesday evening. Apparently it was Sarkozy who initiated to pay this visit as a joint visit with Cameron.

Majority of the international media, meanwhile, agreed that the visit would give Sarkozy, who pushed Western powers to help the Libyan rebels in their uprising against Gaddafi and faces an election in eight months, a chance to tout the success of a NATO air campaign in which France played a key part.

“This is constitutes stealing the show. The man [Sarkozy] obviously wanted to arrive earlier than Mr. Erdoğan. Right from the beginning, Sarkozy has claimed Libya as if it is a country on which he is the only one to have a say. In the meantime, he, however, ignored Tunisia and Egypt,” a senior Turkish diplomat told Today´s Zaman on Thursday.

“This is a show. But what matters is following up on the messages delivered during the visits to these countries. We are not going to those countries to exploit them. We are going there as a follow up to our earlier messages of solidarity. They are after the petrol, but we are after the emergence of a democratic society in Libya. Sarkozy´s concerns over the upcoming 2012 presidential elections are also a key factor in this hastily planned visit,” the diplomat said.

“His [Sarkozy] agenda is solely occupied by his own concerns about the elections, but not by concerns of Libyan people,” he added.

Deputy Chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Reha Denemeç, meanwhile, called the attitudes of Sarkozy and Cameron “childish,” arguing that both leaders have been uneasy with growing clout of Turkey in the region.

“They [Sarkozy and Cameron] are uneasy with increasing activities of Turkey in the region. While they are trying to act quickly, they are behaving like a child whose toy is grabbed from his hands. The peoples of the region are also aware of this situation,” Denemeç said in remarks aired by the Cihan TV Network on Thursday.

Turkey´s approach towards the region is no different than that of the Ottoman Empire, Denemeç said.

“Since the Ottomans didn´t establish a system based on exploitation in this region, the relations are warm today too. Turkey is acting together with the peoples of these countries with an understanding of doing business together and does not intend to exploit these countries,” he added.

Strong declaration of support

In Tripoli, at a press conference alongside National Transitional Council (NTC) chief Mustafa Abdul-Jalil and NTC´s Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, Cameron and Sarkozy both expressed their backing for the council.

Cameron said he would push for the release to the NTC of billions of dollars in Libyan assets that had been frozen to punish Gaddafi´s regime. To that end, he announced Britain would introduce a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Friday authorizing the release of all Libyan assets.

Cameron also pledged the NATO mission would continue as Gaddafi loyalists are still battling revolutionary forces on three fronts in central and southern Libya. "There are still parts of Libya under Gaddafi´s control, Gaddafi is still at large, and we must make sure this work is completed," he said.

He called on all the holdouts to stop fighting.

"The message I think to Gaddafi and all those holding arms on his behalf is, ‘It is over. Give up.´ The mercenaries should go home," he said. "It is time for him to give himself up and time for Libyan people get the justice they deserve by seeing him face justice."

Sarkozy said Gaddafi and others who "committed crimes" will be brought to justice but urged Libyans to avoid "vengeance" and seek unity and reconciliation.

Cameron and Sarkozy were greeted at Tripoli´s airport by NTC leaders. Security was tight in the coastal capital, with Apache helicopters buzzing over the Mediterranean Sea.

Several Libyans clapped and reached out to touch the British and French leaders as they walked toward a hospital, where they met with amputees and other patients who were injured in the fight against Gaddafi. Doctors, nurses and other staff also offered a round of applause and chanted Libyan freedom slogans.

France´s finance minister said the visit was not about landing economic deals but about showing support for the former rebels who ousted Gaddafi.

Francois Baroin, speaking on France-Info radio, said the visit "is a strong gesture, it is a historic moment to go to Libya today." Asked whether there were economic reasons for the visit, Baroin said, "we are not at that stage."

France´s focus is not yet on reconstruction contracts but on supporting the interim leadership and pursuing "the last pro-Gaddafi pockets," he said.