PARIS, March 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France will reopen its embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli next Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron revealed this when he received the new President and Vice President of the Libyan Presidential Council at the Elysée Palace on Tuesday.
The gesture signifies support for the interim government.
“As of Monday, our embassy in Tripoli will reopen, and our ambassador, who has never ceased to work to make it happen will tread your soil to put in place everything we talked about with you”, the French President said.
Macron added that the priority is to lead the country towards the December elections.
He also said France and its allies would ensure that all foreign fighters, particularly those from Russia and Turkey, leave Libya “as soon as possible.”
“We don’t just support you with words and it’s not window dressing – France’s support will be total. First, because we are indebted towards Libya and Libyans. It’s very clear. A decade of disorder”, Macron said.
Mohammad Younes Menfi and Musa al-Koni, President and Vice-President of Libya’s Presidential Council head the interim government.
The three-member presidential council and a Cabinet, took power amid global pressure to implement a UN-backed political roadmap.
That roadmap, agreed to by a UN-picked Libyan political forum last year, set Dec 24 for general elections in the oil-rich North African nation.
Libya was plunged into chaos when an uprising in 2011 toppled longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. Gadhafi was later killed, with support from a Western military operation initially led by France.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council called on countries with troops and mercenaries in Libya to withdraw them “without delay.”
The UN has estimated that there are 20,000 foreign fighters in Libya, including Syrians, Turkish, Sudanese and Russians brought to the country by the rival sides.
