French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has denied his country supports or is biased to the Libyan National Army (LNA).
“France has continuously supported Sarraj’s government. We have lent a great deal of support to the UN and with respect to security. He [Prime Minister Faiez al-Sarraj] knows this. I note that Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga, who regularly attacks France and denounces its alleged interference in the crisis, does not hesitate to spend time in Turkey. So, I don’t know where the interference is,” Le Drian said.
In a Thursday interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, Le Drian said he didn’t talk with the LNA Commander Khalifa Haftar regarding his military offensive on Tripoli and that he told him that “there could be no military solution” for the Libyan conflict.
When asked if the March 19 meeting in Benghazi between him and Haftar discussed any military operations, Le Drian said “not at all. Nor was that the point of my visit.”
“I went to reaffirm France’s support – and President Macron’s support – for the Abu Dhabi agreement, the transition process agreed to early this year, which is supposed to lead to elections. I repeatedly stressed to Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the national unity government, and to Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army, that there could be no military solution. Following those two conversations, I observed that contrary to our expectations, the situation was deadlocked. Both Sarraj and Haftar were hesitating to take conclusive steps,” he continued.
The French foreign minister emphasized that his government’s goal of being involved in Libya is to combat terrorism, saying “that’s our leading goal in the region and it has been for a long time.”
Le Drian pointed out that Haftar’s operation might come as a result of his “impatience,” or that he might have thought “that time is not on his side.”
“In fact, in all of the conversations I had with him, I always reminded him, when he grew impatient, of the need for a political solution. It’s true that we believe he is part of the solution. Haftar’s not a military chief who came out of nowhere. His 2014 counterterrorism operation in eastern Libya was approved by Parliament and by the government, which were internationally recognized at the time, before the Skhirat Agreement [in December 2015].”
“He always spoke to me of his desire to serve a civilian authority once elections were held. It will be the international community’s role to make sure he keeps his word when the time comes. It’s also why France has been insisting on elections for two years. Right now no body can claim they hold a mandate from the Libyan people; it’s one of the major reasons for the current crisis,” Le Drian added.
“Perhaps he was also encouraged by the warm welcome he received in the southern part of the country.”
Le Drian affirmed that his government will always support “everything that strengthens the security of the French people and the countries that are friends of France.”
