In a report on the Libyan crisis, the British newspaper Financial Times said that the growing spat between France and Turkey over the Libyan war revealed gaps in the NATO military alliance and raised questions about what Paris is seeking to achieve in the region.
The newspaper pointed to the escalation of the Paris dispute with Ankara after the Turkish military intervention to support the Government of National Accord in Tripoli, which led to a change in the dynamics of the Libyan conflict, as the national army retreated in recent weeks.
The newspaper points to the opinion of a specialist in the European Council on Foreign Relations, saying that France’s decision to align with supporters of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar reflects its concern to protect commercial interests in the oil industry and fight Islamic terrorism in the Sahel, in addition to his assertion that “France has different interests from Germany and Italy in Libya has moved to protect these interests.”
French Actions
The newspaper pointed out that France last week suspended its participation in the “NATO” mission off the Libyan coast, amid what it claimed was hostile behavior of Turkish warships, as Florence Barley, French Defense Minister, told the European Parliament that given such Turkish measures, “Turkey doesn’t deserve to be an ally in NATO.”
France also criticized Turkey for its hydrocarbon reserves in waters off Cyprus and its military incursion into northern Syria last year.
This prompted President Macron to say that NATO was suffering from “brain death” because of its lack of a coordinated response to Ankara’s actions in Syria.
The newspaper also said that France is not the only member of NATO that is unhappy with Turkey’s actions, as Ankara’s decision to purchase an S-400 air defense system from Russia led to its expulsion last year from the NATO’s Stealth F-35 fighter aircraft program.
European Opposition
The British newspaper indicated that the French momentum against Ankara over Libya – where Macron described Turkey’s actions as “criminal” – is opposed by European diplomats, who do not see the situation clearly.
Ankara’s sending of weapons – including Turkish armed drones – to Libya as well as military advisors and thousands of Syrian mercenary fighters has made a big difference in the battle for Tripoli in the past few months.
The Financial Times also cited a senior European diplomat as saying: “Let’s be honest, Turkey has prevented the fall of Tripoli, and if it had not intervened, a humanitarian catastrophe would have occurred.”
Foreign policy analysts say France has overstated its support for Field Marshal Haftar as a strongman who can dominate it in the traditions of its post-colonial African politics – and then was shocked when Turkey stepped in to support the government in Tripoli.
They say when Haftar launched an attack in southern Libya early last year before his attack on the capital, France publicly supported him. At least foreign support was considered to have encouraged him to launch his attack on Tripoli.
