Turkey Pledges USD 300 M in Aid to Libyan Rebels

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) is greeted by Leader of the opposition Transitional National Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, upon his arrival in Benghazi, Libya, 23 August 2011 EPA/BGNES

Turkey has pledged a massive assistance grant to Libyan rebels' Transitional National Council, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced.

Speaking Tuesday in Benghazi at a joint news conference with the leader of the Libyan rebels Mustafa Abdul Jalil, Davutoglu expressed confidence in the Transitional National Council just as its rebel fighters have appeared close to bringing down the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi in the raging battle for Tripoli.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said, as cited by the BBC, that Turkey would give the Benghazi-based government of the Libyan rebels USD 100 M in a non-repayable grant, USD 100 M in cash to help the government with immediate needs, especially during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and USD 100 M for projects.

Davutoglu said that the NATO operation in Libya would continue until full security was established in the country.

He also said that frozen Libyan assets should be released soon as „the people need finances rapidly.“

Turkey's newly pledged aid to the Libyan rebels appears in line with the country's increasingly active diplomacy in the regions of the former Ottoman Empire, which include almost the entire Middle East and North Africa. Turkey was among the first to recognize the government of the Libyan rebels.

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