"/> " />
SHARE
COPY LINK

LIBYA

France backs ‘political solutions’ in Libya: Juppé

France vowed Sunday it would work with the African Union to find "political solutions" to the Libya crisis, but insisted that the ouster of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi was a "key point".

“We … are delighted to say that in Malabo, the summit of the African Union delivered a public statement which is closer (to) the position of France and the coalition than before,” Alain Juppé told reporters in Addis Ababa.

“We agreed that we must now find a political outcome to the situation in Libya and this solution implies a genuine ceasefire and also an inclusive national dialogue between all the parties,” Juppé said.

“The key point is the withdrawal of Kadhafi from power, from his military and civilian responsibilities and we agreed to work all together to reach this goal,” Juppé added.

At its Malabo summit earlier this month the 53-nation African Union was unable to take a position on the future of the Libyan leader, which is a key sticking point between the two sides.

Libyan rebels have flatly rejected an AU peace plan because they said it would leave Kadhafi in power.

Juppé spoke to the press in English, after meeting in Addis Ababa with the deputy chairperson of the AU Commission Erastus Mwencha and the commissioner for peace and security Ramtane Lamamra.

Asked about the strikes launched on Libya by a NATO-led alliance, Juppé insisted the countries part of this alliance were “acting in the legal framework (of the UN resolution) and we think that we fully respect this legal framework”.

“We will continue the military pressure with our partners, our allies, with the support of the contact group,” Juppé added.

In June, France came under fire by some members of the AU for supplying Libyan rebels with weapons and ammunition, a move critics say flies in the face of UN Resolution 1970, which calls for an arms embargo on Libya.

On South Sudan, Juppé said France supports the establishment of a state administration and functioning infrastructure in Africa’s newest nation.

France will also back the development of the country’s oil industry, South Sudan’s key economic asset.

On Saturday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy officially recognised the independence of South Sudan.

Juppé confirmed that France fully supports the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

The state of Sudan “belongs to the people”, he said, hoping that “democratic rule, a democratic state and rule of law will be respected in the future”.

Juppé was in South Sudan for independence celebrations on Saturday before arriving in Ethiopia, where he met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

In June, Ethiopia and France signed an economic cooperation agreement worth $590 million for water and energy projects in the country, including a scheme to sell power to neighbouring Kenya.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

IMMIGRATION

Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy

A Libya conference will be held in Sicily in November, Italy's foreign minister said Tuesday, with talks focusing on an "inclusive approach" to stabilising the war-torn north African country while not fixating on a date for elections.

Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy
The coastline of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

The peace conference in Palermo on November 12 and 13 will aim to “identify the stages of a stabilisation process”, Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi told the Senate.

The meeting would drive towards “a common solution, even if there are differences of opinion between the parties involved”, he said.

Four key leaders from Libya agreed at a conference in Paris in May to hold landmark polls on December 10 as part of a French-led plan to stabilise the crisis-hit country despite ongoing violence and deep divisions.

France, however, has faced opposition to the election timetable from the United States along with other European Union countries, notably Italy.

Milanesi said he had received “confirmation of interest” in the conference from Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar as well as support from the US, and was planning on discussing the dossier with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.

“No deadlines will be imposed on the Libyans, nor tasks dictated,” Milanesi said.

Italy, a key supporter of the UN-backed government of Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli, said in September it wants to “maintain an active dialogue” with all well-intentioned actors in Libya.

The Libyan capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was driven from power and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

Sarraj's Government of National Accord has been unable to form a functioning army or regular security forces and has been forced to rely on militias to keep Tripoli safe.

Militias formed the backbone of the uprising that toppled Kadhafi.

Since then rival administrations, including one allied with Haftar and based in the remote east, and the militias have competed for authority and oil wealth in the North African country.

Accused by his opponents of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship, Haftar refuses to recognise the authority of Sarraj's Tripoli-based GNA.

READ MORE: