Erdogan due in Egypt for 'Arab Spring' tour

Turkey's prime minister is set to travel to Egypt at the beginning of a North African trip that will also see him visit Libya and Tunisia as Ankara seeks to consolidate its growing influence in a region shaken by the Arab Spring.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's arrival on Monday evening comes with both countries experiencing turbulent relations with Israel, which once considered both governments in Ankara and Cairo as regional allies.
Erdogan is due to meet Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling council that took over when Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February, on Tuesday and is expected to address the Cairo-based Arab League.
He will also meet his Egyptian counterpart, Essam Sharaf. The two are due to sign a political declaration to create a strategic council for co-operation and will sign economic, trade, investment and other accords.
Egypt has long viewed itself as a leading voice in the Arab world, but Turkey's influence has risen steadily with its growing economic might and its assertive policy in the region, notably towards Israel, which has drawn praise from many Arabs.
"There will be rivalry over a regional role for sure. Egypt is not in a position to play such a role at the moment so Erdogan is trying to take advantage of that," said Adel Soliman, head of Cairo's International Centre for Future and Strategic Studies.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201191243431508181.html