Hollande Rules Out French Intervention in Libya

Local Editor

French President Francois Hollande said Monday that France would not intervene unilaterally in Libya and urged the international community to take action to stem the deepening crisis in the country.

"We are acting to contain terrorism in the south, but France will not intervene in Libya because it's for the international community to live up to its responsibilities," Hollande told French radio.
Asked if France would take action in a United Nations-mandated operation, Hollande said there would have to be a "clear mandate", "clear organization" and the "political conditions" would have to be in place.

"We're not yet going down that road," added Hollande.

The president of neighboring Niger said on Friday that a solution to the crisis in Libya was not possible without international intervention.
"I do not see how the armed terrorist militias can create the conditions for reconciliation among Libyans," said President Mahamadou Issoufou.

"An international intervention is essential to the reconciliation of all Libyans," including supporters of former dictator Moamer Khadafi, who himself was deposed and killed in 2011 after an international military intervention.

Since the overthrow of Ghadafi's regime, Libya has collapsed into a chaos of warring militias and rival governments, and is awash with weapons that travel in an arc of unrest through northern Mali and Niger.

Later Monday, ambassadors from the Arab League will meet to discuss the Libyan crisis, at the request of Libya's internationally recognized government.

French Defense Minister Yves Le Drian recently visited the region and paid a surprise visit to northern Niger, to see a base being built to combat the growing flow of weapons and extremists from Libya.

Le Drian said his visit demonstrated France's "determination... against the jihadists, terrorism and those who want to transform this ancient caravan route into a route of violence and trafficking."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team