Macron’s remarks came after a meeting at the French presidential palace with Mohammed Menfi, chairperson of the three-member presidential council of the new Libyan unity government that took office last week.
Libya was plunged into chaos in the fallout of an uprising, initially supported by a France-led Nato military operation, that toppled and killed leader Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
Paris closed its embassy after evacuating some 50 French and British nationals as fighting broke out in Tripoli in July 2014. It has since based its ambassador to Libya in Tunis.
“From Monday our embassy in Tripoli will reopen and our ambassador can return to your territory,” Macron told Menfi in front of reporters.
“I want here to show you all my support and that of France for the new Libyan unified authorities that emerged from the transition process,” Macron said. “We have a debt towards Libya and the Libyans for a decade of disorder.”
Menfi thanked France for what he called its “remarkable” support for reach a peaceful settlement to Libya’s long civil war.
EN DIRECT | Déclaration conjointe du Président @EmmanuelMacron et du Président du Conseil présidentiel libyen Mohamed Al-Manfi.https://t.co/OwQVBbxX3S
— Élysée (@Elysee) March 23, 2021
Warring factions support interim government
The Government of National Unity (GNU), which includes a cabinet headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah along with the presidential council, is the latest internationally-backed bid to end the decade of chaos that followed Kadhafi’s overthrow.
Emerging from a United Nations peace process launched in Tunis last November, it was approved in Geneva and confirmed by Libya’s parliament earlier this month with the backing of rival administrations in the east and west of the country.
Fayez al-Sarraj, outgoing head of the internationally recognised Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), formally ceded power to the GNU this month.
Though internationally recognised, the GNA had never won the support of a parallel cabinet headquartered in eastern Benghazi, under de facto control of forces of military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
France has rejected claims that it secretly favours Haftar.
Foreign fighters
After the meeting with Menfi, Macron also said France and its European partners were united in backing the GNU’s efforts to uphold a ceasefire, unify the national army and financial institutions and work towards elections planned for the end of the year.
Macron has been criticial of Turkey’s military intervention in Libya and insisted the priority was the withdrawal of Turkish troops and pro-Ankara Syrian militias, as well as Russian mercenaries reportedly on the ground fighting for Haftar.
“We must do everything so that foreign forces who are on the ground in Libya leave as soon as possible,” Macron said.
“Turkish and Russian fighters, those foreign fighters sent in by them or others, must leave Libya as soon as possible as only the Libyan armed forces are legitimate.”
The United States Department of State also said Tuesday it would also look into reopening its embassy in Tripoli.
US Secretary of state Anthony Blinken said he had spoken with Libyan interim Prime Minister Dbeibah to welcome the new interim government.
"This is an important milestone in the political process — next steps include elections in December and a full implementation of the ceasefire. All foreign forces must depart Libyan soil, now," he wrote on social media.
(with newswires)
