Turkey's PM on Middle East tour

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, the first country on a tour of the Middle East.In an interview before he left, he said he hoped Turkey could offer a helping hand to these countries.The Turkish leader, who has garnered popularity among Arabs for his denunciations of Israel, was met by an enthusiastic crowd in Cairo.He is due to address foreign ministers of the Arab League later on Tuesday.Mr Erdogan's visit to Egypt comes as Turkey's relations with Israel have worsened since Israeli forces boarded an aid ship in May last year as it was heading for Gaza.Nine Turkish activists were killed during the raid. Israel has refused to apologise and said its troops acted in self-defence.But, says the BBC's Jonathan Head, in Cairo, he may have to temper his anti-Israeli rhetoric to avoid upsetting his hosts as the Egyptian government is trying to calm public anger towards Israel, following an attack on its embassy in Cairo on Friday.His tour will continue with a visit to Tunisia, where the popular overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January sparked similar movements across the region, including Libya. From / BBC