Davutoğlu says will travel to rebel capital Benghazi on Tuesday

Speaking in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Davutoğlu told reporters: "From here I will travel to Benghazi as foreign minister of Turkey but, at the same time, as chairman of the international Libya contact group."   

Turkey is the current term president of the Libya Contact Group made up of the nations that opposed Gaddafi's campaign to crush the rebellion.    

"There is a beginning of a new era in Libya for a future, democratic, united Libya. What we always defended as Turkey was a new Libya based on the aspirations of the people of Libya without being divided and without there being a chaotic situation," he said at the African Union's headquarters where an emergency meeting on Libya had just begun.  

Muslim Turkey, a rising diplomatic and political power in the Middle East, once had close political ties with Gaddafi's government and Turkish companies had projects worth more than $15 billion in the oil producing north African state last year.    

Turkey was opposed to both sanctions against Libya and NATO intervention after a revolt against Gaddafi's 42 year-rule erupted in February, but in May Ankara called on Gaddafi to step down and recognised the rebels as the legitimate government.  

The foreign minister earlier in the day reiterated support for the rebel National Transitional Council and said Turkey hoped that Libya will be rebuilt under the leadership of the council and with support from the international community as soon as possible. “It is important that clashes end as of now and a new political process begins,” he told a news conference in Addis Ababa.

Turkey had earlier pledged $300 million to rebels and Davutoğlu himself traveled to Benghazi last month.

“We hope that daily life in Tripoli will soon get back to normal and Libya will be able to build its future around a single authority,” Davutoğlu told reporters at the new conference on Monday.