The Turkish government on Thursday lashed out at France over its approach to military intervention in Libya and its refusal to confer sole command of operations to Nato.

Ahmet Davutoglu, foreign minister, also said it would be “impossible for us to share responsibility in an operation some authorities have described as a crusade” – a reference to the gaffe made earlier this week by Claude Guéant, French interior minister.

Reçep Tayyip Erdogan, prime minister, cast doubt on the motives for the French-led intervention, telling a conference: “I advise our western friends, when they look at this region, to see the hungry children, the suffering mothers, the poverty . . . I wish they would not only see oil, gold mines or underground wealth.”

He also rounded on Paris, saying people who had ignored the benefits that Turkey could bring to European Union relations with the Muslim world were now using “utterly inappropriate terms” such as “crusade”.

Turkey’s insistence that Nato should have sole control of all military operations in Libya reflects the deep distrust and antipathy felt in Ankara towards Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

Mr Sarkozy, who has long flaunted his opposition to Turkey’s efforts to join the EU, was openly slighted by his hosts when he visited Ankara last month and was pilloried in the press, with photographs staged to highlight his short stature.

Turkish ministers and officials were infuriated at being excluded from Saturday’s summit in Paris, a snub that hardened their doubts about the western-led operation.

Ankara said Nato should only enforce a no-fly zone over Libya if it has sole command of the operation. Turkey does not want an ad hoc coalition to continue air strikes in parallel as that could lead to Nato being blamed for civilian casualties, the Turkish foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday.

France is insisting that non-Nato participants in the military intervention in Libya have a say in the conduct of operations, possibly through meetings of foreign ministers.

The dismal state of bilateral relations is exacerbating real divisions between Ankara and Paris over Nato’s role, and suggests a growing rivalry for regional influence.

Turkish officials, who had been working to mediate between Libya’s factions before the air strikes began, believe they have a better understanding of a country where Turkish businesses have long been active.

“This crisis over the intervention in Libya shows clearly that France is now viewing Turkey as a strategic rival, argued Sinan Ulgen, head of Istanbul’s Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies. “This is already having consequences for regional security, and it will continue to have an impact on EU-Nato relations.”

Turkey has nonetheless sent frigates, a submarine and a support vessel to Libya to help Nato enforce an arms embargo. This action was authorised by parliament after a debate on Thursday.

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