Turkish President Abdullah Gul called on Egypt Thursday to hold a "transparent transition" as it moves to fill popular demands for democracy after protests forced the departure of longtime President Hosni Mubarak last month.
He commented as he led a Turkish delegation to Cairo for talks with Egypt's interim military leaders and political officials. He is the first Turkish official to visit Egypt since Mubarak resigned under pressure in February after three decades of rule.
Turkey is seen by analysts as an example of how a predominately Muslim nation can have both an Islamist government and democracy. The Turkish military has participated in the overthrow of four governments since 1960. Some Turkish leaders were vocal supporters of the Egyptian protest movement.
Gul arrived in Egypt as the nation faces continued political change. Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, appointed whileMr. Mubarak was still in power, resigned on Thursday amid demands by protesters for a clean slate from the Mubarak era.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
