"Some who until yesterday were closest to the dictators and sought to take advantage of them... display an excessive behavior today and raise suspicions of secret intentions"

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul said Wednesday that some countries in the coalition striking Libya are driven by "opportunism" and have prompted suspicions of "secret intentions" in the oil-rich country.

"The issue is essentially about peoples' freedom and ending oppression... but unfortunately it is obvious that some countries are driven by opportunism," Gul told reporters.

"Some who until yesterday were closest to the dictators and sought to take advantage of them... display an excessive behavior today and raise suspicions of secret intentions," he said.

Turkey has slammed the strikes on Libya, saying the formation of the Western-led coalition had failed to "sufficiently" meet international rules.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Tuesday that the strikes might be counter-productive as "we have seen in the past that such operations... increase loss of life, turn into occupation and seriously harm the countries' unity."

However, Gul urged Gaddafi Wednesday to quit power to prevent further turmoil in his country. "We always said that in today's world oppressive leaders cannot stay in power... If those who rule Libya leave office as soon as possible, they will make things easier and will not provide an opportunity for others to plunder their country," he said.