By Yigal Schleifer, Eurasianet.org,  March 9, 2011

...Turkey is opposing the imposition of sanctions against the regime of strongman Muammar Qaddafi, as well as resisting any NATO-led military intervention in the country. Erdogan also pointedly refused suggestions that he return a “human rights” prize awarded to him in 2009 in Tripoli by a Qaddafi family foundation.  While Erdogan’s position on the Egyptian crisis helped raise Turkey’s profile in the Middle East, experts say Ankara’s stance on Libya – a large part of it dictated by concerns over the fate of large-scale Turkish investments in the North African country – could prove problematic, possibly diminishing some of the country’s newfound regional prestige....

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Merkel Ally Assails Turkey on Human Rights
By Judy Dempsey, New York Times, March 9/10.2011

BERLIN — Horst Seehofer, the leader of the governing Christian Social Union party in Bavaria and a key ally in Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right government, on Wednesday issued a strong attack against Turkey's human rights record ...