Seeking to establish himself as a leader of the Arab world, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Cairo Monday at the start of a tour of Arab Spring countries. During his visit, Erdogan will meet with Egypt's military rulers and address a crowd at Cairo's famed Tahrir Square. Late Sunday night the Turkish news agency Anatolia released details of a recent interview in which Erdogan declared that Israel's raid on the Mavi Mamara ship last year were grounds for war. Turkish media reports on Monday said Ankara plans to dispatch three warships to the Eastern Mediterranean to defend against Israeli vessels and ensure freedom of navigation for Turkish ships. The warships will provide protection for ships brining humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip and will be prepared to confront Israeli warships outside Israel's territorial waters if necessary, the reports said. After Egypt, Erdogan is expected to visit Tunisia and Libya, where, like Egypt, longtime rulers have recently been overthrown.

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